The Solstice
by SkyStrider
Summary: The Storm is finally coming to Nerima. Plots and plans are coming to fruition while Ranma's killing demons and Akane's defeating assassins. The witch Henna hopes to avoid Nerima altogether, but an unseen foe will soon force her to confront the couple, like it or not. This is the final story of the "Bindings/The Next Cycle" Chronicles.
1. Shampoo

The usual disclaimer: Ranma ½ is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

This story is the ending of the "Bindings/The Next Cycle" Chronicles. If you haven't been following it, the plethora characters might be confusing. There's a cheat sheet in my profile.

* * *

Chapter 1: Shampoo

(Friday, April 18, 2003, 10:10PM)

Shampoo slammed her opponent's head against the floor and then stood up to the boo's and cheers of the crowd. Once more, her challenger hadn't been in her league, so she was forced to draw out the fight just so people felt they got their money's worth. But the ringmaster nodded at her, so she was assured to be on next week's ticket. Good enough…she stood to take home ten grand this evening for her performance. The warrior with the shaved bald head raised her hands in triumph.

Later on, she left the locker room wearing a hooded jacket that looked very peculiar in the Miami weather, but no one dared questioned her. The security guard nodded to her cautiously and said nothing. Anyone who recognized her beneath the hood and behind the sunglasses didn't dare approach her. She was known to have a temper and didn't tolerate any familiarity – a belief she actively encouraged. Shampoo walked to the back of the building and climbed a set of stairs to a small unmarked fire door. Opening the door with a key so not to set it off, she walked out into an alleyway and into the night. What nightlife lived in the alley had learned to respect her and leave her alone. She walked home to her apartment, cloaking herself in the night like Ciren Blake had taught her.

She distrusted elevators and always walked up the six flights to her apartment. At the doorway, she checked to make sure her "tells" were in place – no way was anyone getting the drop on her in her own apartment. Satisfied that the door had not been breached, she took out her key and unlocked it. She opened the door, walked in, and closed it behind her, only to find the dining room light on and a short Mediterranean man sitting at her table enjoying a bottle of her favorite wine. "Well met, Lady," he told her. "I'm glad to see you keep a well stocked larder."

Shampoo looked at her knife in her hand. With a stream of curses she slammed the knife down on a nearby bookshelf. The man, Mausu, raised an amused eyebrow at her. "Glad to see you haven't forgotten your Mandarin," he teased her in the same language.

She marched over to him still swearing: "Stupid, arrogant, jackass. I'd like to see you laugh around a knife in the chest!" With that, she picked him up by the collar and gave him an ardent kiss.

Sometime later, after they had said "Hello" properly, they lay on the bed in the dark together. "How did you find me?" she asked still speaking Mandarin.

"It took a little bit," Mausu admitted. "I figured you left New York because of the cold, so I ruled out Chicago."

"Good guess," Shampoo agreed.

"Los Angeles and the rest of the West Coast seemed like a bad idea – too close to Japan. That left the Fight Clubs in Houston and Miami," he told her.

Shampoo cut straight to the point: "So, in other words, you came straight to Miami and checked the Fight Clubs."

"I'm afraid so, Lady. The good news is no one's disturbed the safe house in New York, so no one's on your trail," Mausu said.

Shampoo blew out a sigh. "That's something at least. Does Henna still think I'm dead?"

"I doubt it very much," he answered. "We don't know if the Village does though. We're not sure if Henna has educated them."

"Does Great-Grandmother know?" she asked.

"No," Mausu said firmly. "It's better that she doesn't."

"Is she all right?"

"Yes, she's fine," Mausu reassured Shampoo. "She's part of Nerima now."

Shampoo was silent for a few minutes. Mausu just waited her out. Finally, she said: "I screwed up so badly."

"Be that as it may," Mausu told her gently. "It's in the past. People are healing and moving on. You have to move on too."

"Are Ranma and Akane married now?" she asked.

"For all practical purposes. They'll have the civil ceremony next spring, but things are done."

"Good," Shampoo said satisfied. "At least that's behind me too."

Mausu chuckled. "Glad to hear it."

"Can you hang around for a few days? I'd like the company."

"I can," the little thief agreed. "I'd like that."

* * *

Earlier that night…

Happosai left the fight arena Cloaked. "That was close," he thought. "I didn't expect Mausu to show up here. If he had seen me, that would have blown everything. I'm too close to the goal now. There's no time for setbacks. The Solstice is a month and half away. Henna's focused on Akane and the Council. Altrus and the rest of the Council are out to start Doomsday, but can't get the men, thank gods! Potpourri will be in the city next week – as soon as Todd indulges in his hobby, we are off to the races…"

* * *

(Friday, April 25, 2003, 6:00PM)

"C'mon honey, eat something. You and the little walnut need food," Todd gently coached his red-headed Chinese wife – and expectant mother.

"I'm sorry, Airen," Pourri said softly to her American husband. "I guess I'm not hungry right now."

Todd studied his wife sitting next to him in the candle light of the restaurant's private booth. "Talk to me," he pled. "You're angry, aren't you? I thought you wanted to take this trip. You wanted to see another part of the country."

"I do!" she insisted quietly. She looked at his pleading eyes. "I'm glad we won this trip. I'm glad to be in Miami. I'm happy to be here with you."

"But you're not happy about something…" He searched her face.

Finally, she gave in. "It's the letter from home," she admitted.

"What happened? Is everyone all right?" he pressed.

"Do you remember my nephew I told you about? The one who was very sick last fall?" she asked.

"Yes, I remember. You said he had been poisoned," Todd answered. "But didn't he recover?"

"He did, but now he's been exiled," Pourri told her husband.

Todd's eyes widened. "He ran afoul of the government?"

"Something like that," Pourri hedged.

Todd blew out his breath. "Your nephew has the worst luck. Where is he now?"

"In Tokyo – the Japanese are sheltering him," she replied.

"Well, at least he got out of China in one piece. Dissidents aren't usually that lucky." Pourri just nodded her head.

Todd looked at his wife and made a decision. "If you want, you could ask him to come live with us. I know things will be busy with the baby and all, but he is family. I'm sure we could work it out."

Pourri did a double-take at her husband. "Oh, Airen!" she said loudly, embracing him and startling a few nearby tables. Todd looked embarrassed for a moment, but the other tables just chuckled and went back to their own business. "Thank you!" Pourri told him.

Later that evening, as they walked through the streets of Miami toward the club, Pourri (or Potpourri as she had been named at birth) looked at her tall husband proudly. Todd was the most handsome man on the planet as far as she was concerned. Even the scar that ran across his cheek (which he had gotten at a Las Vegas Fight Club) stood as a personal trademark rather than a disfigurement. He was an ex-marine turned baker who made a point of staying in shape, just so he could pursue his one hobby. Despite being a warrior, he was a surprisingly gentle man – and Pourri's ideal partner. "My people would be jealous of me if they ever saw him," she thought.

Not that they ever would. Pourri was done with "her" people. They had denied her a warrior's role and consigned her to be a simple villager. Her response had been to leave and seek her fortunes elsewhere. Eventually, she ended up in the United States where her gift for languages landed her a job at a Sacramento law office as an interpreter. She had made friends quickly and settled into her new life. Then things had got even better when she went on a vacation to Las Vegas and managed to find the Fight Club scene there. There, on one special night, she saw Todd fight, and her life changed again. Now, they had been married for three years and were expecting a child.

But she had kept in touch with her Mom and family at the Village. Her family had always been supportive of her even if the Village hadn't. Her parents had flown out for the wedding and were happy of her choice in husband. Pourri was also still close with her array of older siblings and was delighted to hear about her nieces and nephews. Or rather, she would have been happy to hear about them all, except for Mousse.

Poor Mousse. Nothing had gone right for her nephew. Born cursed and damned at birth, all because of his eyesight. No matter how hard he tried, no matter what battles he won, Mousse was always destined to be the bottom of the pack. Pourri had been nine when he was born. She watched her sister's joy at the birth turn to later shame (at least in everyone else's eyes) as Mousse's affliction became clear. Still, to her sister's credit, she always encouraged Mousse. The young boy tried hard at everything and often succeeded. Things might have turned out well for him (once he left the Village) if it hadn't been for one thing – a certain purple-haired bitch.

That Shampoo didn't love Mousse could be forgiven. Love was a strange and fickle thing after all. Mousse couldn't (or wouldn't) defeat Shampoo; that was that. The problem was that Shampoo never followed up on the initial defeat; she never broke Mousse's spirit. She continued to try and be friends with Mousse (at first) instead of rejecting him entirely, instilling hope in the stupid boy. It wasn't until much later that Shampoo rejected him, and then the damage was already done – Shampoo had wrecked Mousse for any other girl. Even then, Pourri had only disliked Shampoo; she hadn't hated the girl. Shampoo had been young after all, and youths made mistakes, especially with affairs of the heart. No, the hate had come later: when Shampoo had shoved a knife into Mousse's gut and used him as a pawn to snare an uninterested Japanese male.

At least the Village had tried to punish Shampoo – Pourri had to give them that much credit. Mousse may have been the bottom of the pack, but he was still one of them. So the Village Elders had issued a death sentence against Shampoo and cast a spell to carry it out. But Shampoo had hidden behind Outsiders' magic and escaped. Now no one knew where she was. Apparently, the Village Elders had tried to trace the young woman through a lock of hair, but even that hadn't worked for some reason. "No matter," Pourri thought. "Shampoo is finished as a warrior – and as an Amazon. Sooner or later her guilt will catch up with her."

Pourri had told none of this to her husband. Todd didn't believe in magic or spirits and Pourri saw no reason to burden with her past unduly. He knew that she came from a rural village in western China, but other than that, he knew nothing else. Her parents had also made a point of avoiding mentioning anything about Amazon traditions – the wedding had been a traditional Western wedding with their blessing. Mousse's troubles had been translated into something Todd could understand – Shampoo had broken Mousse's heart, not put a knife in it. The boy had been poisoned, not almost sentenced to Hell. Mousse was banished from China for easily explained political reasons instead of banished from one tiny village for obtuse cultural idiocy. Now, Todd had exceeded her expectations again and invited Mousse to live with them. She didn't know if her nephew would, but even being able to offer the option had raised her spirits tremendously.

She walked hand-in-hand with her Airen to the next stop, almost skipping. Todd grinned to see her restored to herself. "Am I allowed to act bubbly here?" she teased.

"You can act anyway you like. We don't have to put on an act. Simon got us cleared at the club," Todd told her.

"Your brother can be useful when he wants too," Pourri noted mockingly.

"Yeah, well, we are scouting things out for him, too. He wants to see if he can raise some interest in an East Coast versus West Coast competition. I'm looking to see if they put any ringers in the fights."

"Ringers?" Pourri asked.

"Professionals among the amateurs," Todd explained.

"Unfair fights?"

"Pretty much. We can deal with it either way, but we need to know."

"I see. And were you a 'ringer' in your fights?" she teased again.

"No comment," he answered gamely. Pourri just laughed.

A short time later, they walked to a large unmarked building. A large bald man at the door looked at them and said: "This is a private party."

"The Ice Man cometh," Todd told him.

The man scrutinized the couple for a second and beckoned them forward. Then he wordlessly held out his hand. Todd handed him his ID. The bouncer checked a list and said: "Welcome to the Club. You know the rules, right Ice Man?"

"We were never here. Period. Works both ways."

"The bars in the back. First one's on Bronson." He handed the couple two cards. "Use these tickets to get them." Todd and the bouncer exchanged nods and Todd led his wife inside.

"Oooo, intrigue even," Pourri whispered in Todd's ear. "Who's Bronson?"

"The guy who runs these fights. Simon's been talking to him for the last month," Todd answered.

A thought crossed Pourri's mind so she asked: "Simon didn't arrange for us to win that contest, did he?"

Todd raised an eyebrow at her. "Simon? My cheapskate brother pay for seven days in Miami?"

"Right. Sorry."

"He just found out we were coming this way and decided to put me to work," Todd finished.

"So, what do we get out of this?" she asked.

He led her into the makeshift arena. "We get to see some fights, and have Simon owe us a favor," he replied.

"And?"

"And I got Simon to pay for upgrades to our tickets – the contest only covered coach tickets," Todd said smugly.

"You sneak!" Pourri burst out. "I thought that nice meal on the flight was included!"

"You're pregnant. A little pampering won't hurt you. C'mon, let's go look at the Leaderboard," he told her.

Pourri followed her husband over to the far side of the arena and checked out a large two meter by four meter white board that had a set of twenty-four photos with names taped to it. To her approval, half of the names belonged to women. "A healthy turnout," she noted to her husband. Pourri knew the ins and outs of Fight Clubs, so she had no trouble decoding the board – or the odds. She noted the favorite in the men's category and noted with pride that Todd had better odds the last time he fought. But when she noted the women's favorite, she froze. "That's not possible," Pourri thought, her mind stuttering. "If it wasn't for the black hair, she would look just like Shampoo." Pourri looked at the name: Sharon Okada of Okinawa, Japan. "If she's Japanese, I'm Irish," Pourri decided finally. She studied the face further and the certainty grew.

"Are you all right?" Todd asked her.

Pourri gave a little start. "Sorry, but she looks familiar. Have you seen her before?"

Todd shook his head. "No, but she's in the seventh fight. We'll get a better look at her then."

They sat down on the folding chairs and enjoyed the first six fights. Apparently, the rules – or lack thereof – were the same on both coasts. She noted that the men did have 'cups' which she approved of, but, other than that, they wore no other protection than the boxer shorts. The women fought wearing leotards and all had short-hair (despite their pictures), something else Pourri approved of. "Long hair is a liability in a fight; it gives your opponent something to grab. That's something my 'sisters' never appreciated," she thought. "But that means the fighters either have had recent haircuts, or are wearing wigs in their pictures. Very interesting…"

Finally, the announcer called the seventh fight and introduced Sharon Okada and her opponent. Pourri took one look and had to clamp down her emotions. There was no way the strutting bitch in the ring was not Xian Pu. Pourri watched as the fight started and Shampoo closed on her opponent. The opening strike was a triple punch-kick combination right out of the Amazon's first warrior's kata. Shampoo's opponent blocked it all with difficulty and then counter attacked. The American girl wasn't bad, but Shampoo dodged all the blows without blocking. The only casualty was that Shampoo's black wig fell off revealing a perfectly shaved head. Shampoo launched into the second warrior's kata, driving the American back. Pourri sucked a breath in through her teeth and then left her seat and ran from the arena. Todd looked up in surprise and then gave chase to his wife. Those around him ignored him and concentrated on the fight.

Todd caught up with Pourri in a hallway. "Honey?! What's wrong?"

Pourri turned and then cried into her husband's shoulder. "It's her! It's her!" she sobbed.

"Who?" Todd demanded.

"We need to leave now before she sees me!" Pourri said tearfully.

"That's all I need to hear." With that Todd hurried his wife out of the arena. He made an excuse to the bouncer who turned sympathetic and called them a taxi. In the taxi, Todd again asked "Who?"

"Not here," Pourri snuffled. "I'll tell you at the hotel room."

Later on that night, Pourri recounted to Todd the story of Mousse's pursuit of Shampoo, Shampoo's rejection, Shampoo's eventual poisoning of Mousse, and then the Village punishment of Shampoo.

"Let me get this straight," Todd stated. "This woman poisoned your nephew."

"Yes."

"With a poisoned blade?"

"Yes."

"And she's on the run because of this?"

"Yes."

"Then I need to go get a gun."

"You'll destroy our lives if you do, Airen" Pourri said tearfully. "Either you'll succeed and go to jail, or she'll kill you and then me and our baby. As it is, she'd kill me if she knew I saw her."

"We can't do nothing," Todd insisted. "One day when we least expect it, she'll show up again. Hell, Simon may end up inviting her to LA."

"Let me think," Pourri pleaded and closed her eyes. Todd waited. Finally, Pourri opened her eyes and said: "We need a private investigator and have him get a photograph of her."

"O.K. Why?"

"My home village wants her dead. Let's sic them on her. We let them take the risks instead of us."

"All right, that has some appeal. We can do that with a photograph?"

"Yes, but we need a film camera, and we need the negative as well," Pourri said, fudging the truth just a little.

"And that will convince them?"

"I'm sure of it," Pourri promised. Then she chose her words carefully: "We give them the evidence and they'll take care of her. If it doesn't work, Xian Pu will run anyway – out of our world."

Todd thought about it. "All right. We'll try it your way first. I'll start things moving first thing in the morning."

* * *

(Wednesday, May 14, 2003, 4:35PM)

Henna looked at the photograph Shower, Mousse's mother, brought to her. "Have you shown this to Razor?" Henna asked.

"No," Shower replied. "Razor is a friend of Cologne and likely to be lenient. She'll just say that banishment is good enough."

"And you don't think so?" Henna asked while setting the photo down on the wide arm of her chair.

"She tried to fillet Mousse's soul – not just kill him," Shower said coldly.

Henna relished the hate in the woman's eyes and fed on it greedily. "So you want her sentenced to Hell?"

"If it wasn't for Mousse's new friends, he'd be there in her place," Shower said harshly.

"True enough," Henna admitted. She pretended to consider the matter. "All right, I agree. I'll issue the Anathema spell again, but you must agree to support my proposals in Council."

"Deal!" Shower agreed all too readily.

"All right, I promise to take care of it tonight as soon as the sun sets. Rest assured: Mousse shall have justice."

"Thank you, Henna." With that, Shower stalked from Henna's throne room.

Henna laughed and said: "No, thank you, dear. Your hate is a glorious thing and is an absolute banquet. I can power the Anathema on it alone."

She sat there for quite some time thinking about Shower. "I probably can't use her as a spy against Ranma," Henna mused finally. "She's too attached to her son and Ranma did save Mousse's life. Still, she might let something slip as time goes on. The Anathema takes time to work and she'll want updates. And every time she comes to me, she'll feed me a piece of her soul through her hate. That will do nicely."

Henna picked up the photograph. "A wig. Very interesting, little girl. So that's how you avoided the Anathema on my last attempt. You shaved yourself bald. I wonder how much that cost your pride to break the tie with your hair. Since then, you've been hiding without any Pride and without Honor – how delicious. Now I'm going to put you out of your misery. The ancients in Australia believe a photograph steals your soul, but they are only partially wrong. It makes a connection to you that fades over time. But, this photo is still nice and fresh, Shampoo. I can see you hiding in America. And I can see you well enough to reach out and touch you…"

* * *

(Wednesday, May 28, 2003, 6:45AM)

"No, Shampoo whispered. She had woken up feeling sick to her stomach and with a massive headache. That feeling of wrongness only intensified as she struggled to make coffee despite her pounding head. Now, as she stared in the mirror, she understood the growing feeling of horror. Right by her left ear was a small black streak that would not wash off. Somewhere, somehow, she had failed to keep the strict regime Tofu Ono had given her. Now, the Amazon people's Judgment had found her and the Anathema was upon her.

Suddenly the mirror blurred and her image was replaced with one of Henna. "Hello Xian Pu," the image said. "The door way to Hell is opening, and soon it will consume you." Henna paused for dramatic effect. "But maybe, just maybe, we can strike a deal…"


	2. The First Seeress

Chapter 2: The First Seeress

-Sunday, June 1, 2003, 8:00PM-

Nabiki sat in the middle of the Tendo kitchen with her forehead resting on a fist. With a voice full of annoyance, she appealed to her eldest sister: "There's got to be a way to stop them!"

Kasumi looked at Nabiki with understanding in her eyes. "If there is, Nabiki," Kasumi replied. "I don't know it. I can't control them myself. The Visions come and you have to listen to them."

Nabiki groaned and buried her face in her hands. "What am I suppose to do with them? None of them are about the stock market!" she groused.

"I tell mine to Tofu. Maybe you should too," Kasumi suggested helpfully.

Nabiki rubbed her temple and then dropped her hands to the table. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. Some of the Visions are a little personal," she answered.

"Oh my," Kasumi said softly. "Are they about a boy?"she pressed.

"A few," Nabiki hedged.

Kasumi studied Nabiki's face carefully and would almost swear she saw a reddening of the other woman's cheeks for just a moment – but the moment passed.

Nabiki looked up at her sister and asked: "Any other ideas?"

"Well," Kasumi started. "Could you tell them to me? At least the ones you're comfortable with and I can decide what to pass on to Tofu? It could be important."

Nabiki thought about that for a minute. "I don't know how helpful they are really," she said. "Tofu's in one with Ranma, so he probably knows that one."

"But he may not know the others," Kasumi pointed out. "And maybe you should tell me that one too. You might have Seen something he missed."

"Ah, what the hell," Nabiki sighed. "It's better than keeping everything locked up inside me. These four seem to be the important ones…"

* * *

-The First Vision: Friday, May 30, 2003, 7:55PM-

Ranma sat in the middle of the construction site cleaning the blade. Behind him was a trash barrel filled with burning scrap lighting up the night. Before him was a pile of rags. He wiped the ichor-covered blade with each cloth until the cloth was saturated; then he tossed the cloth into the fire behind him. After a little work, the handle of the katana was clean enough that he could make out the name there: Saotome. He started work on the blade. By the time Tofu Ono found him, the blade was now clean enough to make out the names engraved there. One side of the blade read "Ono"; the other side read "Tendo".

Without preamble, Tofu said: "Here's the oil and some clean cloths."

Ranma nodded and took the items. Then he said: "Thanks for coming."

Tofu nodded back and threw a packet of something into the fire. Immediately, a sweet smell surrounded the two men. Ranma just nodded again. After a minute, Tofu sat down and asked: "Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's not a lot to talk about," Ranma said while starting to polish the blade. "It came, it was evil, I killed it."

"It was after Akane," Tofu prompted.

Ranma paused and then he continued working on the sword. "All the more reason to kill it," he said blankly.

"You didn't kill it. You banished it back to Hell," Tofu said softly.

"It bled. I stabbed it through the heart. I twisted the sword to make sure I didn't miss. Then I cut off its head. It's dead," Ranma said in a flat tone.

"Its body dissolved before you. The blood on the ground blew away as smoke. It returned to Hell," Tofu replied.

"IT'S DEAD!" Ranma half-shouted.

Tofu shook his head. "Sorry Ranma, you only banished it."

"So what?" Ranma yelled. "It gets another chance? Henna can just summon it again and send it after Akane?"

Tofu shrugged his shoulders. "Actually, not for a bit. And it's not likely to answer her anyway only to face you again. You put the fear of you into it at least."

Ranma's shoulders slumped and he blew out a sigh. "There are legions in Hell," he said.

"But Henna doesn't have all their names. And it costs her to send one here. Each one will want a piece of her soul, regardless of what she sacrifices to it," Tofu said comfortingly.

Ranma blew out another sigh. "I've never seen something so vile."

Tofu nodded. "And the real problem is that you can't stand it going after Akane – I don't blame you. But you won today. Akane is safe today. Take comfort in that. Not to overfeed your ego, but you'll win tomorrow too – you always do."

"And how do you know that?" Ranma pushed back.

"Because you're the Defender, you always have been," Tofu answered.

"Gods, I hope your right," Ranma said. He got up and turned to the fire, now burning blue. He began reciting words Tofu had taught him from the Kitsune language and held the sword over the fire. As he chanted, the sword started to glow blue in the night air. After quite some time, he finished.

"Nice job," his teacher approved.

Ranma nodded and sheathed the glowing sword. "All set for next time." He looked at Tofu. "You can't tell me where she is?"

"She's safe. She's training – you'll see her tonight at eleven as promised," Tofu replied.

"I *hate* not being able to sense where she is," Ranma confessed harshly.

"I know. If I couldn't find Kasumi I'd go crazy," Tofu admitted. "But look at it this way – if you can't find her, Henna definitely can't."

* * *

Meanwhile, Akane stood on the unfinished fourth floor looking down at her husband-to-be consecrating his sword. She was Shielding to hide from his (and everyone else's) notice. Around her neck hung the silver fox necklace that the Kitsune lord, Jakaro, had given her. "This marks you as one of us," he had told her. "You are Ranma's betrothed. You have bound yourself to him soul-to-soul. As he is one of the Kitsune, so are you." Akane had felt the weight of his pronouncement and knew there was something more to the necklace. Cologne had told her that it offered some protection against detection, but that was all the Elder could figure out. She had urged Akane to always wear it though.

Tears rose in her eyes as she heard Ranma's confession. "I'm sorry, Ranma," she whispered to herself. "But I'll be with you soon." With that, she silently leapt out of the building to a nearby one. Then Akane began leaping rooftop-to-rooftop as she made her way to the training ground where Ciren, Cologne, and Shizuka waited for her.

"Well done, child," Cologne said as Akane materialized out of the shadows. "I couldn't track you at all."

"Hopefully, Henna can't either then," Akane said.

"For some reason, you baffle her completely. That's why she's trying to have the other Elders track you. If you can stop me, you can stop them," Cologne stated.

"Any idea why she wants Akane?" Shizuka asked.

"No," Cologne said. "But I can't imagine it's for a healthy reason."

"Not a surprise," Ciren chimed in. "All right, let's keep going. We only have a couple of hours left. Let's start with knife drills. She's got unarmed combat down cold…"

* * *

Later that night, Ranma stood atop the safe house holding his fox necklace as it hung around his neck. It glowed softly in his hand. He strained every one of his senses trying to locate Akane. Finally, he was rewarded as he detected her landing silently behind him. "You knew," she stated as he turned to face her.

"Only within twenty meters. I had to really focus – and I had help," he indicated as he held out the fox pendant of his necklace.

Akane began to close the distance between them. Ranma walked toward her as well. Akane smiled softly as she said: "I figured Jakaro gave us them for a reason." When they reached each other, they embraced fiercely and kissed. Neither one was in a hurry to stop.

When they finally did, Akane placed her head on Ranma shoulder and said simply: "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he answered.

After a few more minutes, Akane sighed and they separated slightly. "How's daddy?" she asked.

Ranma just shrugged. "He's fine. He's getting use to having Othan and his team barracked at the dojo," Ranma told her.

"Good. I checked on Nabiki this morning. No one's bothering her," Akane said.

Ranma nodded his head and took her hand. "C'mon. We can talk downstairs. Kuno's got the place Shielded."

"He's really being accommodating, isn't he?" Akane asked.

"I think Mom has something to do with that," Ranma chuckled. "She was here earlier too."

"Oh?"

"She left a basket of dark chocolate, wine, and assorted stuff."

Now Akane laughed as she followed him. "All aphrodisiacs again?"

* * *

-The Second Vision: Saturday, May 31, 2003, 1:00PM-

The woman, Nari, kneeled on the ground tending to her herb garden. The pretty lady with black hair appeared to be about twenty-eight years old and was humming happily to herself. A shadow fell across the garden in front of her and she laughed without surprise. "I see you managed to re-grow your shadow, boy."

"Yes, Healer," Tatewaki Kuno replied respectfully. "It took a while though. I found living without one rather interesting there for a while." There was a dry humor to his tone that Nari rather liked.

"The Red King deserved some sort of reward for putting up with you," Nari said as she turned to look at the young man blocking the sun.

Tatewaki Kuno was a handsome twenty year-old with a strong chin and dark hair. He stood tall under the late Spring sunshine wearing a black mock-turtleneck and well-made slacks. He carried a leather jacket over one shoulder. "I'm not arguing with you, Healer. I was stupid enough to do that once – never again," Kuno answered.

"Hmph!" she said, but there was a smirk on the young woman's face. "Well, you're here. Come inside and have a cup of tea."

"Thank you. I'd like that," he replied politely.

They went into her house and she put a kettle on while motioning him to sit down. "You're back early. The judge said you were not allowed back in Japan for six months. You still have a month to go," she prompted.

"Actually, I've been in Hokkaido for the last couple of weeks. I petitioned the judge to let me come back early. I told him it was for my continuing 'Apology Tour'. He decided I was truly repentant, and said I could, but that I'd be on probation for one year. I agreed," he explained once he sat down.

"And you're here to apologize to me?" she asked surprised with eyebrows raised.

"Pretty much," he agreed matter-of-factly. "I struck first. You may have finished it, but I started it. You are still owed an apology – and I am sorry for the strike."

Nari waved dismissively as she turned to pull out some cookies. "I banished the one who struck me. He's gone for good."

Tatewaki shrugged his shoulders. "I still remember things though, even though it's like remembering a dream. The last thing I truly remember without the fog is when I became the Captain of the Kendo Club. After that, not so much. But somewhere in the fog is me striking you and tormenting Akane Tendo. Those things really happened – they cannot be undone. An apology must be made and restitution must be done."

Nari eyed him speculatively. "That's a very advance thought from someone who just grew back their shadow." She came over to the table and pointed at his forehead. "Do you mind?" she asked. Tatewaki shook his head, so she placed her hand on his head and they both closed their eyes. After a few minutes, the kettle began whistling. She took her hand away and set out two cups. Her face was very thoughtful.

As she scooped tea into the teapot, Tatewaki asked softly: "Well, Healer Nari?"

"You've healed yourself, lad. I won't say I'm unhappy about the speed, but I'll admit I'm concerned," Nari answered, still lost in thought.

"My Uncle was telling me about the Nerima Martial Artists. He says I'm one of them. Would that make a difference?" he asked.

Nari slowly nodded her head. "Yes, that would." She paused and then gave a more firm nod. "Yes, that accounts for the speed – even for the thoroughness." She poured water into the teapot, and closed the pot. Then she looked penetratingly at Kuno. "So, now you know you are special. How does that make you feel?" she pressed.

Kuno shrugged. "I'm one of several hundred if I understand everything Uncle told me – not that special. Many of my acquaintances are as well, including Ranma, Akane, Ukyo, and Mousse. They are all more powerful than I am. Kodachi also seems to have a touch of it as well. There are also other special people in Nerima, people who can see into the Other World and there are a lot of them. Many can do real magic as well."

"All right – the megalomania doesn't seem to have come back," Nari commented.

Kuno seemed to relax a little. "Good. I don't want it back," he said.

Nari sat down at the table and took a cookie. "So, what do you plan to do now?" she asked.

He took a deep breath and blew it out. Then he said: "I'm going to stay in Hokkaido for another week to make sure I'm OK and then I'm going back to Nerima. Kodachi has returned to school again, but she's staying on campus. I'm renting a small flat to stay in for a little while – I don't want to move back to the estate."

"Are you sure it's wise to go back?" Nari pushed as she began to pour the tea.

Kuno shook his head. "I don't know, but there are a lot of people I have to apologize to there." He paused for a moment and then added: "Besides, I am part of Nerima. The city is inside of me. I need to go back and confront my future there. Once I do that, I'll come back to Hokkaido for a break and then go back to Nerima again. I'll keep alternating between the two until I'm sure of my choices."

"And then?" Nari questioned.

"I'll keep a low profile until Ranma and Akane are safely married. Once they are married, I need to ask Ranma to train me. I'm giving up Kendo, but, if I have the Power, I have to learn to use it wisely anyway. Meanwhile, I'll study for my entrance exams and earn my way into college proper, rather than have Uncle offer a bribe," he answered. "That will take a little time. It will also be good experience to get a job and earn a living – be a real person for a while before I start my studies again."

"Well said," she told him as she handed a cup to Tatewaki and they both drank in silence for a minute or so. Then she added, "Are you sure you don't want to wait a few weeks? Like say July?" she asked.

"You mean like after the Solstice?" Tatewaki said.

"Your Uncle told you then," she stated.

"More or less," he confirmed.

"Look, lad. Are you sure you're up to that?" she pressed.

"I owe people – a lot. And as I said, I am part of Nerima – and Japan. As one goes, so does the other. I'm not sitting this one out. Uncle's going to try and get Kodachi out of there, but I doubt he'll win that one. Worst case, she'll drug her guards."

"You're not up for fighting," she told him bluntly.

Kuno shrugged his shoulders. "So then I'll drag the wounded out of the way. At least, I'll be doing something for the cause."

Nari looked at him steadily. "Did your Uncle send you to 'fetch' me?"

"No," Tatewaki said firmly. "If he had, I would have told him to 'Shove off'. I'm here because I owe you – more than just an apology. Nerima is my fight, not yours."

Nari sighed. "Nerima is not my fight, but Japan is," she told him in a resigned tone. She looked around her little shop. "I'll lose everything if Nerima falls – maybe even my life, and I'm not ready to die yet." She seemed to look inward and whispered just loud enough for Tatewaki to hear her: "Over a thousand years ago, I decided to be a healer of the little people. Nerima is full of little people in harm's way." Her face firmed up as she came to a decision. She drained her cup and filled it again. Then she motioned for Kuno's cup and he passed it to her. She filled his cup and passed it back. "All right, lad. You're not going to Nerima next week," she said while looking at her cup.

"But, I…" Kuno started until Nari looked at him. The brown of her eyes had changed to a glowing yellow. He shut up immediately.

"The Solstice is on the 22nd. You, me, and a few others are leaving for Nerima on the 16th. When we get there, we get ready to help in the defense of Nerima. When hell comes on the evening of the 21st, we patch the wounded and protect the innocents. With luck, we last until sunrise."

"And if luck is against us?" Kuno asked with a raised eyebrow.

She raised her tea cup to him. "Then we walk into the Next World with our heads held high at least," she told him bluntly. Kuno raised his teacup to her and they clinked their cups together.

* * *

-The Third Vision: Sunday, June 1, 2003, 12:30PM-

Ba stood in a corner and watched as Henna studied the scrying glass. Normally, such a creature would have commanded anybody's attention. His head was mostly bovine including the horns, but no bull or cow ever had such a collection of fangs. The body looked like a large emaciated human with a thick red hide except for the huge hands which bore long sharp claws about two decimeters long. But Henna was use to his appearance and gave him no heed. "What am I missing?" she wondered out loud. "No one in Nerima is making any move to leave. If anything, they are hunkering down. Akane is flitting from safe house to safe house so fast, I can only track her two days later. She's not going on the offensive and neither is Ranma. The mercenaries attached to them are digging in, not pulling out. They've actually setup fortifications." A baffled look crossed her face.

She turned to stare at a map of her local area. "The Council is stationing men at Yushu to attack me, but they're having trouble getting manpower. I can delete their forces in an instant. The Nerima forces are making no moves to join them. Has there been a schism somewhere? My sources say Tofu Ono was working for the Council, but he stopped. Did he take everyone else with him?"

She pondered the map again. "The Council wants me to attack Nerima. I'm suppose to go there. I bet the forces at Yushu are much stronger than I think. Lure me out and then destroy the house while I'm gone. Kill the Sprite, burn the house, and I'm done for. That's got to be it."

She blew out a breath. "Akane Tendo may indeed be my antithesis. I don't know where she came from, or how she came to be, but she's not coming here to kill me right now. If I don't go to her, she can't touch me. I'll just keep up the pressure on Nerima for now, but I'm going to concentrate on the Council. It may be that the Solstice will take care of her for me…"

Ba listened to the witch with an enigmatic smile on his face.

* * *

-The Fourth Vision: Sunday, June 1, 2003, 2:00PM-

Taro (formerly "Pantyhose Taro") followed the Guide down to the water's edge. Normally, people avoided Jusenkyo pools – with good reason. Taro had no such aversion though – he was extremely proud of who he was. "You know, I can find the right pool these days," he commented to the Guide Xiam.

"Perhaps," the Guide agreed. "But I've been working on this a long time. Forgive me if I insist on accompanying you."

"It's your time," Taro shrugged. Without waiting for a cue, Taro knelt down at the water's edge and opened up the large jar of clear water he carried. Carefully, he dumped it back into the spring. "Are you going to tell me why we're doing this yet?"

"Not yet," Xiam told him. "But we are getting closer. A few more days and the task will be done."

"And then I get my name?" Taro prompted.

"Promise," the Guide stated. "Just remember, you promised the see the task to the end."

"I'm not backing down," Taro insisted. "Henna has to go. I don't see how this helps, but I'm trusting Ono – and you," he added grudgingly.

"I'm honored," the Guide laughed. "Come. Let's finish. Go to the other side and fill the jar again."

Taro nodded and walked to the other side of the spring. He took out a long ladle and began to fill the jar, just as carefully as he emptied it. When he was done, he careful screwed the lid back on. He used marsh grass to wiped down the jar and dry out the ladle. Then he put away the ladle and stood up carrying the jar. "Done."

"All right. Back to the still then," the Guide prompted. Together, the two men walked away from the Spring of the Drowned Cat.

* * *

-Back to the Present: Sunday, June 1, 2003, 9:00PM-

Kasumi looked thoughtfully at Nabiki. "Was Taro the boy you mentioned?" she asked the middle sister.

"No, I didn't mention any of the Visions the boy was in," Nabiki answered.

Kasumi's expression became slightly mischievous. "And why not?"

"Because you're a busybody," Nabiki answered with a smirk. "One way or another, he's *mine* to deal with." With that, Nabiki got up to leave the kitchen.

* * *

Next up: The Second Seeress


	3. The Second Seeress

Chapter 3: The Second Seeress

-Monday, June 9, 2003, 9:45AM-

Kasumi sat in the kitchen holding a cup of tea and tried to concentrate. There was a pattern here, she was sure of it. The Visions had to mean something, but she could not see it yet. She repressed an urge to curse and settled for a long sigh.

"What's the matter, Kasumi?" Nodoka asked as she walked into the room.

"Oh, 'Hi' Auntie. Nothing really," Kasumi told her.

"Yeah, not so much," Nodoka said. "Your eyes are red from lack of sleep. You're still having nightmares?"

"They're not nightmares anymore, Nodoka. Those stopped. Now it's the Sight keeping me up. I keep Seeing events and I'm trying to understand why."

"Are you sure they're real?" Nodoka quizzed, although her expression suggested she already knew the answer.

"Tofu was in one of them and Shizuka was in another. When I asked them about the events, they told me things really happened as I Saw them. But I don't know why the Visions are important – or if they are," Kasumi replied, exasperation coloring her voice.

Nodoka pressed her mouth into a line and then walked over to the stove and turned on the kettle. "How about you tell me what you Saw and let me see if I can figure out a connection."

* * *

-Tuesday, June 3, 2003, 9:55AM-

General Xie looked at the seven Amazon couples. None of them were warriors, but this mission didn't require warriors. Actually, it was preferable if they weren't. All of them were dressed in western civilian clothes despite the fact they were staying on a military base – something he had arranged for. The couples had left the Amazon village of Nyucheizu in drips and drabs over the last three months at the Amazon Elder Razor's orders and been quietly picked up by the military in the city of Yushu – as planned. Then they had been whisked to Shanghai and this staging ground. These were the volunteers he had asked Razor for before the New Year: restless couples unlikely to stay with the Village, eager to seek new territory.

One of the women, Curtain, spoke up: "Is this all of us now, General? Is it time to leave soon?"

Xie nodded. "Yes, this is everyone who agreed to go, however, it's not time to leave yet. I know you are all anxious to start your new lives, but please be patient. We are waiting on some supplies from Beijing, some documents from the Japanese, and a special package from the Village. You will be leaving on June 12th for Japan and the start of your adventure.

"Look," Broom, an Amazon male, prompted as he stood next to his wife. "Now can you tell us what this is about? Razor only told us that it was important to the survival of the Village. None of us owe the Village anything, but we still have family there."

General Xie considered that for a moment. Finally he started: "As you may know by now, I'm a very practical man." There were nods of agreement around the room. "But even I have to admit that there are things beyond the five senses; some of which you are already aware of." More nods happened. "One of these things is arising in Japan, and if it's not contained, it may destroy most of China, starting with Nyucheizu. Your job will be to contain it in Japan and only you folks have the ability to do it." He looked into fourteen sets of eyes as they became very wide…

* * *

-Tuesday, June 3, 2003, 3:30PM-

Daran Hawke swore as he scanned the document written in Mandarin Chinese for the fiftieth time. "That doesn't sound good," Dr. Tofu Ono noted as he walked into the living room of the apartment attached to the Ono Clinic. The doctor was bearing three cups of coffee on a tray.

"Things are all twisted up among all the tribe's chapters," Daran said as he blew out a breath. "I'm not surprised Dr. Meng didn't see all the connections."

"Not to mention you have notes from the other researchers in China," Tofu pointed out.

Daran nodded and noticed the third cup. "We expecting someone?" he asked.

"Me," Maomolin said as he materialized. The bakeneko was wearing his human form dressed in jeans and a button down shirt. He took his cup of coffee from Tofu with a nod of thanks and sat down in a chair next to Daran. Tofu set the tray down but stayed standing.

"All right, let's take it from the top. What did you find out?" Tofu asked Daran.

"In their books of lore, the Musk called the Amazons the 'Xiagawatte' instead of the Joketsuzoku," Daran started. "'Watte' means 'child of', but their no translation for 'Xiaga'. It doesn't seem to be a word derived from the Musk language. However, there's another people, the Kiachioku, where 'Xiag' means 'water' and the 'a' seems to be a preposition. Meng didn't study the languages of his subjects in depth, so he had no way to know this. Dr. Freedman is with the Kiachioku right now and is building a primer. The Kiachioku are in frequent contact with the Musk, but the Musk are not really in strong contact with the Joketsuzoku. It seems the Musk knew about the Amazons long before they actually met them and adapted the Kiachioku's word for them."

"Which means the Amazons were originally called 'Children of the Water'," Maomolin concluded.

"Correct," Daran said. "But they lost that meaning somewhere in time."

"Or were made to forget – about 900 years ago," Tofu stated grimly. The other two looked at him so he went on: "The Amazons claim to stretch back over four thousand years. For an ancient people, their Lore looks like Swiss cheese – especially with regard to the Elements. All this means is that Henna is a true Amazon – she didn't get herself adopted by the tribe. The Amazons once served the Sprite, and one of their number betrayed the Sprite. Then Henna erased any Lore that might break her hold on the Sprite and made the Amazons forget the Sprite. So the Village of Women Heroes was born."

"O.K., that's an interesting hypothesis," Maomolin acknowledged. "But even if it's true, where does that leave us?"

"It means that the Amazons have an extra affinity for Water, more so than any other people on the planet. There's a fair chance that the next child to be Sacrificed is an Amazon girl under the age of 16. We know Akari is just a distraction," Tofu said.

"No, we know there's a fair chance that Akari is a distraction," Maomolin corrected. "I'm not letting my guard down."

"Fair enough," Tofu said with a shrug. "I'm not suggesting you do."

Daran just nodded his head. Then he asked: "How sure are you about sixteen?"

"That's the age of adulthood in the Amazon Village," Tofu replied.

"Yes, but in China, its eighteen," Daran reminded him. "And an Amazon under twenty is considered a minor in Japan. How does the spell judge?"

"I'm not sure," Tofu admitted. "I guess local majority wins. Are you thinking about Mousse?"

Daran nodded his head. But Maomolin disagreed: "Two issues; one: Mousse's aura is not marked and Happosai is not going to be able to get near him without getting killed. Two: Mousse is male. Yang and Yin will have their say. We've got two males and a female. The next Sacrifice is female."

Daran and Tofu considered that and then reluctantly agreed. Tofu blew out a sigh and said: "I guess Akari's not off the hook yet. And it does add a certain symmetry to things." As Maomolin and Daran looked at him, Tofu added: "Two couples – two yin, two yang intertwined together…"

* * *

-Wednesday, June 4, 2003, 11:50AM-

Altrus of the Council's Ruling Hex looked at the map. There was a lot of distance to cover between Yushu and Nyucheizu. "It's not going to work," Beltrus told him. "The Chinese are going to blow our mercenaries to pieces. It's one thing to have a raiding party attack Henna, but an army strong enough to wipe out the Joketsuzoku down to the last child will not be tolerated. We just don't have enough men to hold them off. If we try and raise the Power through Blood, our mercenaries will revolt. If they don't, the Chinese will nuke us and declare a military accident."

Altrus swore and slammed his fist into the table. He looked like a tall sturdy human - clean shaven, bald, solidly built, with a chiseled face covered in an intricate design almost like red fire. Beltrus was almost identical looking except his facial pattern resembled fierce waves rising from the ocean. The stone table had cracked under Altrus's massive fist. "Damn Happosai to Kithdrend! This is his fault!" Altrus burst out.

"Yes, it is," Beltrus agreed. "Galtrus is trying to locate him, but it doesn't look promising."

"He's going to be in Nerima shortly. Have our people wait for him there!" Altrus growled.

"Good luck. The Kitsunes want him too. So does Kuno, the Chinese, and the Japanese. All of Tokyo is hunting for him, never mind Nerima," Beltrus told him.

Altrus dropped his shoulders in defeat. "He's won, hasn't he? Five hundred years of plotting and planning and he's still won."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Happosai was his agent all along," Beltrus stated.

"Fine," Altrus groaned. "We are still going to try and beat him to the punch. Tell Galtrus and the others. We've lost Armageddon, but we are going to roast Henna yet."

* * *

-Thursday, June 5, 2003, 6:20PM-

The Kitsune Lord Jakaro strode into the Observatory looking for Cronus. Cronus had re-opened the building just after the Cycles had changed and started to re-build the Machine. Unfortunately, the Machine's ability to forecast the future was extremely limited: Cronus was having difficulty building a working Reality model. Indeed, he was having difficulty building a machine capable of running more than an hour without exploding. Fortunately, Reality kept rolling right along – without exploding.

Cronus turned away from his work (and the tower of inter-meshed gears) as he sensed Jakaro's approach. "How's it going?" Jakaro asked him.

"I don't have a scenario where we win yet," Cronus hedged.

"Do you have a scenario where we survive?" Jakaro pushed.

Cronus looked up at the Machine as it started to vibrate. "Umm…no. In fact, now might be a good time to step outside…" With that he forced Jakaro outside again and slammed the door as a tremendous explosion sounded inside. The door bent outward and then resumed its normal shape. A few gears flew out an open window above them. The crashing of falling machinery sounded inside the tower.

Cronus watched one of the gears roll down the hill and sighed. "Obviously, I'm missing something; actually, a lot of somethings probably. There's just so much information to model and we don't have a lot of time left."

"I'm a bit more disturbed by the fact that you haven't come up with a stable scenario yet. That really means 'the devil's in the details' if we want to live," Jakaro responded.

"Do you have anything that might help?" Cronus half-pleaded.

"One thing:" Jakaro replied. "The Council officially threw in the towel. The attack on Nyucheizu been called off. They're going to melt into the countryside and wait for Henna to attack Nerima. They'll strike the House as soon as we give the word."

Cronus did a double-take. "Do they really mean that?" he asked.

"They swore by the Covenant. The deal is we have to turn Henna over to them if we capture her," Jakaro replied.

"My ears must be clogged," Cronus said as he shook his head. "You mean that miserable little goblin was correct?"

Jakaro smirked. "Appears so. Hiring all the mercs worked: we actually starved the Council into submission. Henna doesn't get her war."

Cronus lifted his muzzle and gave a cry of victory. Then he stamped the ground repeatedly – much to Jakaro's amusement. "We're down to one scenario," Cronus crowed. "She has to attack Nerima. She has no choice. Otherwise the Sprite dies and King Rera appoints a successor. Her power fades then and she ages quickly."

"Not to kill your happiness," Jakaro said dryly. "But she has a lot of options. Are we looking for a single assassin or is she invading? Humans or undead? Water Elementals or mercenaries? Who does she attack? Ranma? Akane? Akari? Someone else?"

"All good questions!" Cronus burst out enthusiastically. "I shall find out!" With that, Cronus yanked open the door to the Observatory only to have Jakaro pull him out of the way as several large gears bounded by. Cronus then waved farewell and ran back inside.

* * *

-Friday, June 6, 2003, 8:00AM-

King Rera, Lord of the Cycles, King of the Seasons, The Wind Spirit, and the Soul of Winter (a new title) sat in his room surrounded by cats who cared nothing about his personal space. "There are worst things," he thought as he held one of them while another had perched on his shoulder. He looked out the window at the stormy sky of Ranma's spiritual realm and did his best to squash some residual guilt. "It's not my fault," he reminded himself. "Ranma and Akane have different tasks. They must spend time apart – and out of touch." Still it did bother him. Happosai made have dragged Ranma into this, but it was to save Rera's ass. Rera never forgot, especially since Ranma personally stopped him from fading away at the time of the Summoning. "If I could leave you out of this, Brother, I would," he thought.

Then he shook himself. "This is useless," he said out loud. "I have work to do." With that, he sat both cats down and conjured a three dimensional map of the planet. He studied the Dragon lines etched into the planet and charted the power flows for the better part of an hour making notes in the air that hovered in place. He gathered an audience of cats watching him raptly. Finally, he circled a spot out in the Pacific Ocean. "Boom!" he thought. "The Marianas Trench. The Storm will originate there and come north. It will make landfall at Tokyo. That's our one and only chance to stop it. After that, the Storm collapses in on itself and the earthquakes start. Things get far worse after that. So, by June 22, 2003 at 4:10AM, Sister must be either freed or dead. Or possibly both."

Out loud he called: "Suma!"

"Yo!" sounded in the air around him.

"It's coming out of the Sea!" Rera called out.

"No duh!"

"The Marianas Trench."

"All right that makes sense," Suma's voice replied. "You need to tell Ranma and have him tell Tofu and the others."

"You're using names now? That's impressive," Rera said with a grin.

"Apay's a harsh teacher," Suma stated. "She made her point."

"Has she forgiven you yet?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good. You're going to need her help," Rera said pointedly.

"I'm aware. Here, look!" Suma commanded. A Viewing Port appeared showing the area around Nyucheizu (and the Nexus there). Rera saw the damage to the area's life force. Suma spoke again: "It's no good. The area has to be cleaned and purged. Henna has had too many undead there too long. Everything is cursed. Fire is the only cure. I don't think the Nexus is salvageable either. You're going to have to adjust the Power flows away from the area for it to heal."

"The Amazons are in for a rough time," Rera noted.

"They're not blameless in all this," Suma said firmly. "But I've something in the works that might help them. It might help you too."

"Care to tell me?" Rera prompted.

There was silence for a moment and then Suma said in a low voice: "I made contact with Happosai."

"YOU WHAT?!"

"I knew you'd be mad! But it's important! Please hear me out!" Suma's voice begged.

"This better be good…" Rera warned.

* * *

-Saturday, June 7, 2003, 2:10PM-

Apay watched in the Viewing Sphere as Akane ran through attack after attack. Her opponents were twelve of Kuno's ninjas specially selected for the drill. They faded in and out of the shadows testing Akane's attack sense to the limit. None of them were getting through although Akane was having a hard time tagging them. Akane was not allowed (yet) to use any advance attacks, only advance defenses. Apay wasn't allowed to help either – no matter how much she wanted to. "She has to do this alone," Apay reminded herself. "When the time comes, I may not be allowed to help, if I'm able to that is." Still, Apay's fingers itched to help. "I need to find a distraction," she finally thought.

Apay closed the Sphere and looked around her room. Her Fish/Water Elementals swam contentedly in their tank, safe from anyone who wanted to enslave them. Finally she called out: "Rera!" That was the latest change in her circumstances. Ever since the Equinox, she and her Siblings were no longer strictly confined to the Dream Realm. They could always reach each other through the link Ranma, Akane, and Ryoga shared. But now they could also reach out into the physical world via Viewing Spheres that were two-way and communicate with other entities, human and otherwise. They had to be very choosy in opening communications so not to tip off Henna, but their freedom was increasing.

"Yo!" Rera answered.

"Did you talk to the Jellyfish King?" Apay asked.

"Yes, he agreed to monitor the Trench. From a distance."

"From a distance?"

"He said things were warming up down there – too warm if you get my drift," he answered.

"So, it's already started," Apay concluded.

She heard Rera blow out a breath. "How's Akane doing?" he asked.

"Well," she replied. She bit her lip and then said: "Are you sure she's the one?"

"Yes," he said gently. "She and Ranma both know. If I could take it away from her, I would."

"Is it because of me?" Apay asked.

"No, this happened before she was born. Akane's immunity to Water makes her the ideal warrior to stop Henna," Rera answered.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Teach her Blessed Fire," Rera responded gravely. "She's going to need it and her Power base is broad enough now."

"Are you sure she can handle that? It usually takes three people to throw it," Apay stated.

"Trust me…"

* * *

-Sunday, June 8, 2003, 4:30PM-

Shizuka walked into her husband's florist shop. At first, she thought Hideo was with a customer, but very few people stood well over two meters tall. "Olaf!" she called out to the disguised giant. Both men turned toward her and smiled. She followed on with: "What brings you this way?

"Just taking a break from the farm. Maomolin's there now, and the place is crawling with Kitsunes, including Shiran. There's enough firepower there right now," Olaf laughed. "I came to see what everyone else is up to. What's going on?"

"Things are going according to plan," she answered. "Akane's and Ranma's training is going well. The mercenaries and the Martial Artists are finally playing nice – largely due to Inspector Ojima stepping on a few necks. The cooperation is paying off – we managed to flush out some of Henna's spies before they took a shot at our couple."

Olaf nodded approvingly. "Good. The Kitsunes counter the spies at the farm. We don't have to worry about assassins. From all we've gathered, Henna's still afraid Akari may be the chosen sacrifice."

"No one's taking shots at Ryoga?" Shizuka asked.

"No. We're not sure why," Olaf answered with a shrug. "Maybe she's afraid Akari will be caught in the crossfire."

"Nice to know she's afraid of something," Shizuka replied.

"How are the preparations going for the Storm here?" Olaf asked.

Now Hideo shrugged. "About as well as can be expected given that we don't know what to expect," the florist told him.

"True," Olaf admitted. "How about battening down the hatches for starters?"

"This is a city, not a ship," Hideo chuckled. "But Tokyo has weathered severe storms before. I think we can handle that part of it."

"Do you think you'll have any trouble convincing people to take it seriously though?" Olaf asked with some concern.

"No, everyone's already expecting trouble," Shizuka answered.

"Why?"

"Olaf," she said a little exasperatedly. "It's June and we haven't seen rain for nearly two months."

"True," he admitted.

"It's not even humid – we should be able to practically swim through the air about now," she added. "But we have had very warm weather – with some very strong breezes."

"There's also been earth tremors – nothing big, but frequent enough that people have noticed," Hideo noted. "Earth, Wind, and Fire are all acting up, and Water is absent. Feels like the forerunners of the Storm tuning up."

"So, the Storm will be something like a fierce hot windstorm?" Olaf asked.

Hideo shrugged again. "Maybe, but I think that will only be the half of it." At Olaf's gesture, Hideo continued: "The Storm is the result of metaphysical imbalances – not just physical. It's not just the Elements themselves that are out of whack. There's going to be a spiritual component to the Storm that has to be addressed."

"Which is?" Olaf prompted.

"You tell me. Human choices got us into this mess; the right human choices are needed to get us out, but as far as what choice, or when, or who…" Hideo held up his hands. "I don't know."

* * *

-Sunday, June 8, 2003, 11:10PM-

Ex-Queen Mizu, a.k.a. The Sprite, sat alone in her tank. Henna rarely came to see her now as Mizu was of little use to Henna. It was the most peace she had in over 900 years. "It's almost done," she thought. "I've played my little game to the end. Even now, I've lost the last dice throw and he has it."

She stirred a little and thought about her siblings. "I threw you through the Door betting that you'd beat Death and come rescue me. I lost the bet and cost you your lives. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, I'm going to join you shortly."

Suddenly, she wanted to see Akane Tendo, but lacked the Power to cast a Viewing Sphere. "I'm sorry for you too, little Daughter. I crippled you at birth and gave you a long road to follow…"

* * *

-Back to the present: Monday, June 9, 2003, 11:25AM-

Nodoka got up to turn on the kettle again.

"What do think, Auntie?" Kasumi asked her.

"I think you need to get some more sleep," Nodoka stated with a smile.

"Auntie!" Kasumi protested.

Nodoka's face grew serious as she turned to face Kasumi. "I think the key Vision is the one at the flower shop," Nodoka said.

"What? Why?"

"Hideo said that human choices got us into this mess; the right human choices are needed to get us out. I think he's right. The rest of the visions show things narrowing: people coming together, options falling by the wayside, things coming to a point…" Nodoka said.

"But the Vision with Tofu didn't go like that – nothing was decided," Kasumi noted.

"Because there's still some choice left on the table. We are coming to a point, we're not there yet," Nodoka explained.

Kasumi huffed. "Oh my. So where does that leave us?"

"You mean 'Where does that leave you?'" Nodoka told her calmly.

"Huh?"

"You're being shown these Visions for a reason, Kasumi. Obviously, you're the one who is going to bring us to the Point, whatever that may be," Nodoka clarified.

Kasumi's mouth opened and hung there.

* * *

A/N: Next up - The Visions are over and all the pieces are in place. It's time to get started with the next chapter: "Sister".


	4. Sisters

Chapter 4: Sister

-Tuesday, June 10, 2003, 3:10AM-

It was almost perpetually busy at the warehouse of a certain international shipping company at the Tokyo Airport. However, between 3AM and 3:30AM, things stopped as the employees all assembled to discuss the coming day and the shipments that must be set in motion. The warehouse emptied and was quiet, but only for about ten minutes. Then a sharp pounding emanated from a crate bearing a label for the Tendo Dojo in Nerima, Japan. The sound increased in intensity until there was a splintering of wood followed by silence. A cloaked shape appeared by the crate and considered the box with its new hole for a minute. The hooded person looked around at the warehouse and then back at the mess. Quickly, it stripped the label off of the crate. Then the shape strode to the exit and vanished into the early morning.

* * *

-Tuesday, June 10, 2003, 6:00AM-

Cologne woke with a shiver despite the warm morning. She felt like someone had just walked over her grave. "What the hell was that?" she wondered to herself. Quickly she scanned with her thoughts for any sign of Henna's magic but felt nothing. She checked the Circle Tofu Ono had drawn around her bed; nothing was glowing or out of place. "All right," she thought. "No one is attacking me." She picked up the phone and called Ciren.

"What's up, Grandmother?" Ciren inquired.

"Did anything happen?" Cologne quizzed. "Are Ranma and Akane all right?"

"There's been no red alerts," Ciren told her. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know. I think Henna's up to something. It feels like she's moving chess pieces," Cologne responded.

"All right, I'll warn Ranma he may have another demon to deal with."

"No, this feels human – have him watch for an assassin instead," Cologne corrected.

Cologne hung up the phone and went about her morning, but she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. She found herself looking over her shoulder frequently and unease grew inside of her. When Mousse arrived for the morning shift, she was relieved to have someone else about. "Anything unusual this morning?" she asked him.

"Nothing so far," he answered.

"I can't shake the feeling someone is watching me," the old woman told him.

"People are getting uneasy with the Solstice approaching. Could that be it?" Mousse suggested.

Cologne shook her head. "That's not it. Do you Feel anything odd?"

Mousse stopped and closed his eyes. After a moment or so, he shook his head and replied: "No. I'm just picking up the neighbors going about their business. I'm not feeling anything evil or dangerous. Nothing attacking."

"Yeah, I don't think we're being attacked either," Cologne agreed. "But something's still not right. I warned Ciren and she's spreading the word."

Mousse shrugged his shoulders and said: "I'll keep an extra eye out too."

Cologne nodded and then asked offhandedly: "Have you heard from Sayuri recently?"

Mousse rolled his eyes. "Yes, grandmother. She's doing fine in Sendai. She'll be home soon for the holiday."

"And what about that other girl – the waitress?" she asked innocently.

"I have a date with Takara tomorrow, all right? You can stop asking. I'm doing fine."

"Just checking…" Cologne responded. "You have a life to live. By the way, your teacher will be by at 3PM. Be ready."

"Yes, grandmother," Mousse added with just a hint of exasperation – and a slight smile.

Cologne left him in the kitchen to check on the dining room. On one of the tables, she notice a small bit of liquid that she couldn't account for. She touched it and felt an odd texture to it. When she brought her fingertip to her lips, she recognized the salty taste of tears…

* * *

-Tuesday, June 10, 2003, 8:55AM-

Ranma walked into the living room at the Tendo residence. "Good morning, Lover Boy," the mercenary Othan mocked. Ranma gave Othan a one finger salute which caused the man to laugh. "Pay attention lad, something happened this morning," Othan said seriously.

"I'm listening," Ranma told him.

"There was a dust-up at the airport this morning. A crate turned up – unmarked and busted up," Othan said.

"Still listening."

"They traced the manifest: the crate was suppose to come here," the mercenary said while pointing at the floor.

"And the contents are missing?" Ranma asked.

"Yep."

"As in, they probably walked away," Ranma stated. He sighed and started cursing.

"The crate came from the US; San Francisco to be exact," Othan added.

"An American assassin, then. But why tip us off with the manifest?" Ranma asked.

"Either they are not that bright, they are overconfident and daring us to stop them, or… things aren't as they seem. Kuno's investigating," Othan finished.

"Gods, two weeks until the Solstice. I'll be happy when this is over," Ranma sighed again.

"Provided we're still around," Othan said flippantly.

"Optimist." Ranma paused briefly and said: "All right. Same drill as usual. I walk around being obvious and we wait for the assassin to start tracking me to get to Akane."

"Just remember – you were the target once, so don't get careless," Othan warned. Ranma nodded. Then Othan asked: "What's with the cat eyes?"

Ranma blinked and walked over to a mirror. He looked at himself and said: "Weird. I must have passed by a cat this morning, but I don't remember that."

"Does a cat always cause that to happen?"

"Anymore, yes. The Cat Fist is never far away, especially with the Solstice so close. Is Maomolin here?" Ranma asked.

"No. He's with Akari and Ryoga," Othan answered.

"Turn around," Ranma ordered. Immediately, Othan did so and Ranma released a Nova Burst. Quickly he ran to the back door.

Othan ran over. "Something?"

Ranma looked frustrated. "Something…Something left just before the Burst. Could have been one of Kuno's people checking on us."

"But you don't think so," Othan prodded.

"No," Ranma stated.

* * *

-Tuesday, June 10, 2003, 9:30AM-

Akane stood on the roof of the fish market wrapped in the Umisen-ken looking at folks going about their business. She sighed. She and Ranma had had a rare night together and parted about an hour ago. Ranma was going to check on the dojo and then report to Lord Jakaro for more magic training. Akane had an hour free before she was suppose to meet up with Ciren again. In the meantime, she was going to run a personal errand. She roof-hopped over to the Town Hall while Cloaked in the Umisen-ken and let herself in an upper window. Then she snuck by the receptionist and made her way to her father's office. He had his back to the door when she let herself in. She walked up to him and broke the Cloak by taking the cigarette out of his mouth. "Daddy!" she scolded.

"Akane!" Soun Tendo exclaimed as he hugged her.

Akane returned the hug and then held up the cigarette. "You're suppose to be quitting," she reminded him.

"Things are a little stressful right now. I have a lot of house guests," he replied.

"At least these house guests pay their own way," she said.

"Unlike someone's fiancé," he teased.

"He's holding his own, thank you very much. That's still not an excuse," she insisted as she held up the cigarette.

He took it out of her hand and said: "Leave an old man his vices. Where have you been?"

"Here and there," she answered as she snatched the cigarette back. Then she made it vanish soundlessly. "I've been working on fighting and magic – same as Ranma."

"Is it really necessary for you to stay away from home?" he asked plaintively. "There are enough men guarding the place."

"There have been seven attempts on my life. Ranma stopped another three days ago. Yes, Daddy, I need to stay hidden – or at least unpredictable. On the plus side, my skills have never been better. Even Ranma won't fight me without cheating," she smirked.

"Tut, tut," he admonished. "There is no such thing as cheating. There's…"

"There's alive and there's dead," she acknowledged. "Well, I'm working hard on staying alive. The countdown is on."

"All right," he sighed. "I guess so…"

They talked for another fifteen minutes and then she left as she arrived – by vanishing into thin air. Soun never even saw her leave via the door. After Akane met up with Ciren for knife practice, she decided she'd head toward the park and run through some katas. However, halfway there, she abruptly changed her direction and raced toward Mt. Terror full speed. She debated triggering the tracker and decided to text Shizuka instead, letting her know the destination and that she had an unwanted tail. She also said that she'd deal with it.

* * *

Akane leaped through the wilderness looking for a specific area she had been using last week training with Ryoga. The area was off-the-beaten track. More importantly, it was a ravine without a scrap of plant life. She ran down what appeared to be a dead end, but Akane was more than capable of leaping to the shelf halfway up the cliff, which is exactly what she did. She then turned and faced her invisible pursuer and shouted "Thunder Strike!" The blast wave had nowhere to go other than right back down the ravine. Akane Felt her now-quarry get lifted by the blast and tumbled along the sharp ground. She began to rain Chi blasts down the ravine. One of them lit up her prey; the shadow was female, about the same height as Akane. The unknown woman somehow managed to maintain her Cloak, so Akane unleashed a Nova Burst that shattered the Cloak and blinded the woman.

"Enough!" the woman yelled in Japanese. "Shampoo came to talk – not fight!"

"Shampoo?" Akane said questioningly. Sure enough, the blind woman looked like Shampoo, but with an extremely short purple buzz cut. "What are you doing in Japan? You shouldn't be here. If Henna finds out you're alive, she'll kill you."

"So Akane knows," Shampoo said grimly. The former Amazon kept her eyes averted from Akane; probably because they were still blinded.

Akane leaped down to stand ten meters from Shampoo. "Why are you following me?" Akane pressed. Shampoo blinked her eyes to clear them and stood up. She steeled herself and turned to face Akane. The blue-black haired woman gasped: half of Shampoo's face was dull carbon black. Facial features and curves were lost; the only break in the blackness was Shampoo's eye and her teeth. "No…" escaped from Akane's lips.

Shampoo hung her head. She said simply: "Shampoo cursed. It's done." There was only resignation in the young woman's tone.

"Have you seen Tofu yet?" Akane asked.

"No point. Once curse start, only Elder stop it," Shampoo explained.

"Well, Cologne's an Elder," Akane stated.

"Only Elder who cast it can stop it."

"Who cast it?"

"Henna," Shampoo answered.

Akane became grim. "And what does she want to stop it?" Akane asked.

Shampoo sat down heavily. "Sister know. Shampoo have to kill Akane," she said in the same resigned tone. Akane crossed her arms defiantly. "Don't matter," Shampoo continued. "Henna not take away curse even if Shampoo succeed. Will only laugh and watch Shampoo burn." Akane winced. "Henna hate Shampoo. Would never save."

Akane sat down where she was. "I see. So what are you going to do? Is there any way I can help you?"

"Only one way to beat curse," Shampoo stated. "Shampoo have to die before curse finished."

"You're going to kill yourself?" Akane asked, but there was a suspicion growing in her mind.

"No, won't work. Have to die in battle against greatest rival," Shampoo replied.

"Ranma?" Akane prompted.

"No, Ranma just male. Fight against one who took Airen's heart. Who beat Shampoo last Fall. Who Shampoo called Sister. Shampoo must fight Akane."

Akane was stunned for a few moments. Then she said: "Shampoo, I can't…"

Shampoo cut her off. "Does Akane believe in Hell?"

"Yes, but…"

"Shampoo not just die if spell completes. Shampoo go to Hell – for real. Shampoo seen demons. Touched one in knife. Has Akane seen demons?

"Only from a distance – Henna sent one after me, but Ranma killed it," Akane said grimly.

"Please don't let them have Shampoo," the purple-haired woman pleaded.

"So you're just going to let me kill you?" Akane demanded caught between indignation and disbelief.

"No, have to die with honor. Will try and do what Elder asks. But if Shampoo win, Ranma will kill me. Both dead. Waste. Akane must win. Akane must win for Ranma. Must win for family. Must win for friends. Must win for children yet to come."

"I'm not pregnant," Akane stated evenly.

"No, but will bear children someday," Shampoo said with a slight smile. She got up and dusted off her hands. "Shampoo has no choice, has to be this way. Will give Akane choice though…Pick the day, pick the time, and pick the battleground. Rig it so Akane has the advantage. Shampoo has no life anymore, so Akane must. Shampoo will be back in one week to talk. Consider…" With that Shampoo vanished. Akane somehow Felt Shampoo run back down the ravine for quite a ways. Then her adversary apparently ran beyond her range.

* * *

Shizuka uncloaked in front of Akane. "How much did you hear?" Akane asked.

"Enough," Shizuka replied. "Kill or be killed."

"No, Shampoo can't kill me anymore. There's something between us now. She can't surprise me. I know if she gets too close," Akane said. "I could knock her out and stop her from a distance. She's probably the worst assassin Henna could send." Akane got up then from where she was seated. "The real problem is that if I stop her, the curse takes hold and she goes to Hell – literally. It's really Kill or Damn."

"Hold on," Shizuka said. "You didn't damn Shampoo; she did that. She nearly sent Mousse to Hell."

"Yes, and she did her best to stop it by sacrificing herself," Akane pointed out.

"No, she decided to kill herself so her Elders couldn't damn her," Shizuka returned. "There was no other reason to put herself in that Circle."

"And I knocked her out of the Circle," Akane reminded Shizuka.

"You still didn't damn her – her own people did that. And is she really worth all this?"

"Tofu and Ciren thought she was," Akane answered. Then she started back down the ravine. "Come on, I need to talk to him."

* * *

-Tuesday, June 10, 2003, 4:55AM-

"Hello?" someone said.

Akari sat up in bed.

"Hello?" it repeated.

Akari looked at her sleeping fiancé. "Hello?" she said to the room.

Ryoga stirred and asked: "Are you all right?"

"Did you just say something?" Akari asked.

"Are you all right?"

"No, before that. Did you say 'Hello'?" she asked him.

"Umm…no, I was asleep. Are you all right?" he repeated.

"I think so, but you didn't say anything?"

"Dreams maybe?" he prompted.

"Possibly…" Akari sat there and thought about it. Then she glanced at the clock and announced: "I'm going down to my office."

"It's 5AM. We have half an hour to go," he reminded her.

"I want to get the jump on the ledger," she said as she climbed out of bed and grabbed her robe. "Sleep a bit longer. I'll bring up some coffee when I come back."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine honey; I just want to be up," she reassured him.

"All right," he answered. "I'll be down in a little while."

Akari wanted to remind him about the offer of coffee and stopped. She had worried him, so he was going to give her a little space, and then check up on her. She sighed and gave up; if she pushed back, he'd be up now. "I'll see you down stairs, then" was how she left it.

She walked outside her room and found an over two meter tall Norwegian sitting guard outside. "Good morning," Olaf wished her.

"Good morning," she wished back cheerily. She had given up trying to convince Olaf and Maomolin that they didn't need to take turns guarding the door. "Just starting a little early. I'll be in the study."

"Very good," the giant said getting up. "It's time for coffee then."

She couldn't stop herself as she said: "Henna doesn't want me dead you know."

"No, but Happosai might," he returned as they walked down the stairs. "Let's just keep up the precautions, shall we?" he rumbled good-naturedly. She just sighed then and let it go.

Five minutes later, she was ensconced in her office with a cup of coffee, but she didn't take out her ledger. Instead, she ignored the cup of coffee and closed her eyes. She began to concentrate on her breathing and controlling her heart rate. Remembering Tofu's lessons, she settled into a trance and entered her own Dream realm. Quickly, she found herself in a field of grain stretching from horizon to horizon. The grain was chest high.

"Hello?" someone called out.

"Hello?" Akari called back. "You're not suppose to be here. This is my mind."

"Hello? Are you Akari?" the voice answered. It sounded like a girl's voice.

"Yes, who are you?" Akari replied.

"Oh good!" the girl's voice definitely sounded relieved. "Things were a little confused there, but I think I have it sorted out."

"I'm sorry?"

"You shouldn't be…you've done nothing wrong. I'm the one waking you up," the voice answered.

Akari shook her head and repeated: "Who are you?"

The grain parted in front of Akari and a naked girl stood there, about thirteen years old. She had waist length hair the same color and texture as Akari. Her eyes were the same color and shape too. The young girl was about a head shorter than Akari, but other than that, they could have been twins. Akari's eyes widened and she exclaimed: "Oh dear!"

"Akari!" the girl burst out and ran to the young woman. Before Akari could do anything, the girl was clinging to her. Instantly, there was a flash that lit up the sky of Akari's Dream Realm and Akari staggered back a step. "Please let me stay," the girl begged.

Akari grabbed the girl by the upper arms and pushed her back just a little. "Let me see you," Akari insisted. The girl bit her lower lip and nodded. Akari looked down and stared into the girl's eyes. A smile formed on the young woman's face. "Pretty girl, aren't you?" Akari teased. The edges of the other's mouth turned up just a little. Akari tapped the girl's nose and commanded "Open up." Then Akari leaned forward and touched her forehead to the young teen's forehead. Instantly, a farm appeared in the field.

"I can stay?" the girl asked.

Akari straightened up and stroked the young teen's hair. The girl was now dressed in a flannel night gown and robe, just like Akari. Slippers appeared on her feet as Akari added the detail. "You can stay," Akari confirmed. "You are a part of me. But, what do I call you? Your true name might be too dangerous. How about Maboroshi?" Akari added mischievously.

"I'm more real than that!" the girl insisted with a stamp of her foot.

Akari laughed and then said: "Uwasa?"

"Too close to my real name, and you're still mocking me."

"Yume?"

"I sort of like that one. That's close enough," Yume said.

Akari smiled as she held out her hand. Yume took it and Akari led her new charge toward the farmhouse. Then Akari's face grew serious. "Are you sure about this?" Akari asked Yume.

"Someone has to," Yume answered in a solemn voice. "And I'm one of the few able to do it if push comes to shove. Besides, the old man sort of set me up – one way or another I'm involved."

"Something else we have in common," Akari said grimly.

* * *

Next up - Alliances


	5. Alliances

Chapter 5: Alliances

-Wednesday, June 11, 2003, 5:45PM-

The construction site was empty after hours, so no one noticed when one of the large doors to an underground garage simply faded out. Even if there had been someone there, the door was recessed into the building and hidden in shadow. However, that didn't stop the seven men squad armed with automatic rifles from running forward and through the door. They immediately took up defensive positions inside and watched to see if anyone followed them. One of them, a mercenary by the name of Wales, pulled out a radio and said: "Gate secured. Little Missy on board."

"If I ever find out who came up with that name for me, they'll be walking funny for a week," Akane Tendo whispered as she held her own rifle. She was in the middle of the other six members.

"Roger," the radio crackled. Akane recognized Shiran's voice. "Wait for Himself and then we are out of here."

"Contact made," the mercenary Artel said in his Spanish accent. He was looking through special electronic binoculars. He switched channels and said "Password?"

"Darkstar jungle," Ranma's voice sounded over the radio. "Visual made."

"Acknowledged," Artel responded. A shadow streaked through the Door and the Door closed.

"What kept you?" Othan asked.

"I had a tail. A merc. Had to knock him out," Ranma replied as he embraced Akane. Then he turned to Othan and said: "He was a spy, not an assassin: short range handgun, decent body armor. Best guess is he's one of the Council's people. Henna's people come to kill."

"Maybe," Othan grunted. "She's going to have to change strategy shortly and spend more time gathering intel."

"There is no time left," Ranma disagreed. "The Solstice is in a week and a half. It's full steam ahead."

"We'll see." Othan motioned for everyone to follow him.

They walked through an extremely large garage with a few limousines parked here and there. After 50 meters, they came to the back wall where there was an elevator. The doors opened and Ryoga was standing there. "Welcome to Glowsdown," the fanged boy said. He shook hands with everyone and received a hug from Akane. Then, once everyone piled in, the elevator closed and people rode in silence.

When the doors opened again, Jakaro and his three disciples (Shiran, Yul, and Tofu) greeted them. The four were wearing royal red robes that seemed to shimmer. "Welcome one and all," Lord Jakaro proclaimed formally.

Before them stretched a large banquet hall with a table for thirty people. About the table, Kitsunes strode here and there while placing settings, filling water goblets, and preparing for the upcoming meal. The hall itself it was brightly lit and featured plants set everywhere in a variety of pots and planters. There were detailed Nuido wall murals depicting various rich forest scenes. They were hanging over hardwood paneling with bamboo accents for trim. Exquisite gold and marble statues showing detailed figures of various animals were everywhere. The floor was covered in a deep rich rug.

"Oh hell," Artel mumbled. "We've ended up in Rivendell."

"Close," Jakaro winked at them. "Come on. Guides will show you where you can get cleaned up before dinner.

"I'll do it!" Tomo burst out appearing on the scene. He grabbed Akane's hand only to have Ranma grab Tomo's shoulder.

"You can show us," Ranma said firmly.

"I'll take Akane to the women's room," Akari offered as Tomo looked dispirited.

Ranma, Othan, and Othan's team followed Tomo to a changing area were they found Kitsune servants waiting for them. They also found bathing facilities with changes of clothes and storage cubbies for their equipment and weapons.

"Keep your sidearms," Othan ordered. "Swap out everything else. Keep your sword." The last had been directed at Ranma.

"Been to these gatherings before?" Ranma said with a smirk.

Othan ignored Ranma and barked at his team: "We're getting full honors despite being hired hands. Act like you deserve it."

After bathing, Ranma changed into the tuxedo waiting for him. Othan handed him a gold scabbard and reminded him to put on the sword again. "Isn't it out of place in something this fancy? Like you're not suppose to bear arms in the presence of the emperor or something?" Ranma asked.

"This is a Council of War, kid," Othan answered. "You go in with weapons at the ready to show your allies you're ready. Besides, it's not impossible for us to be attacked here; unlikely as hell, but not impossible."

They walked back to the main hall with Othan and Ranma leading the squad. The preparations had been completed and there were several people waiting for them including Toshio Kuno who was talking with Lord Jakaro and a third man with wavy grey hair. Jakaro turned to Ranma and beckoned him over. Ranma nodded and nearly froze as the third man turned to faced him – Ranma had seen the man on television several times before. Jakaro gestured again and Ranma continued walking over – very self-consciously. Jakaro spoke to the man with wavy hair: "Your Excellency? This is Ranma of Nerima. Ranma? It is my honor to present his Excellency, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi." Ranma bowed deeply to the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister bowed back and said: "Pleasure to meet you finally, Mr. Ono. Your legend precedes you."

"Sir?" Ranma prompted confused.

The PM chuckled. "Your file occupies a very busy corner of my desk." At that, Ranma blushed a very deep red. "I hope your life settles down somewhat after this little adventure," the Prime Minister continued.

"Thank you, sir," Ranma said wishing he could be somewhere else.

Koizumi's face sobered up as he said: "Three days before the Solstice, a battalion of the Self-Defense Force will move into Nerima – roughly five hundred men. Another two battalions will be standing by. Hopefully, they will not be called in. Please pass the word to your team and the rest of the Martial Artists about their presence on the fourth day before the Solstice – and not before. Let's not have any accidents."

"Yes sir," Ranma said respectfully.

"With the mercenaries and ninjas, that will give us roughly fifteen hundred men to guard Nerima," Kuno noted. "With another thousand on standby. And that doesn't include the Martial Artists."

"That's as many as we can pull off without starting a panic," the Prime Minister said. "Hopefully, it will be enough for whatever trouble starts."

"My people will also be there," Lord Jakaro stated. "That will give us another six hundred. We can also help hide the others with a little misdirection. Who knows? This may all be unnecessary."

Koizumi snorted a laugh. "Since the Chinese offered to lend me men, I doubt that very much. They know Henna better than I do, but we can hope."

"Excuse me, sirs," Ranma asked. "But how are the Chinese so sure she's coming? You're sure too. But she knows Nerima is preparing for her no matter how quiet everyone has been; and we are on home turf. Why would she dare things now?"

The three men looked at each other. Finally the Prime Minister spoke: "You have a right to know Mr. Ono. There are secrets within secrets about, and I cannot tell you everything, but there is an on-going operation against Henna as we speak. Very soon, it will complete. If it is successful, the writing is on the wall and Nerima will be in the crosshairs."

* * *

-Wednesday, June 11, 2003, 6:05PM-

Xiam watched as the small bottle on the still began to glow. "Success!" he cried. He removed the bottle from the still and carefully removed the purple hair that had been wrapped around it.

"Good," a short cloaked man said from the other end of the room. His face was hidden in shadows. "Mix up the potion. We need to do this now."

The Guide (and Loremaster) Xiam nodded. He took down a plastic liter bottle sealed with wax and broke the seal. He took a clean open mouthed flask down from the shelf and carefully poured about a tablespoon of green liquid from the liter bottle into the flask. Then he dumped the glowing contents of the still's bottle into the flask as well.

"Here," the cloaked man said. "Pour this in as well." He produced another small bottle.

"What's in it?" Xiam asked suspiciously. "I won't see him hurt."

"It won't hurt him. Promise. It will make him susceptible to suggestion for twenty-four hours though. We'll need to get out of here immediately and I don't have time to argue."

Xiam blew out a breath. "Twenty-four hours?" At a nod from the other man, Xiam said: "All right. It's a little late for scruples." With that, he poured in the contents of the third bottle.

"All right. Take it to him. I'll finish here," the cloaked man said. Xiam nodded in turn, picked up the flask, and left the room.

The cloaked man pulled out a vial of powdered loadstone. He walked over to the bench where the liter bottle of green liquid stood and dumped the loadstone into the liter bottle. Then he pulled out a small simple gold ring and pushed it into the bottle as well. He reached into a pocket and pulled out another vial, but this contained silver filings. He hesitated before dumping it into the liter bottle. "Come on, coward," he scolded himself. "It has to be done on Chinese soil." Then a thought hit him. "But it doesn't have to be done so close," he said out loud.

* * *

Xiam knocked on Taro's door. "What's up?" Taro called out.

"The potion is ready. It's time to get your name," Xiam told him through the door.

The door flew open. "I'm already packed," Taro said.

"Good. Drink this and get going. Once you get to Nerima, open this letter and follow the instructions," Xiam said.

Taro took the flask and smelled it. "Smells musty," he commented.

"Hold your nose," Xiam suggested.

Taro nodded and did so. Then he tossed back his head and drank the flask quickly. Suddenly he froze and the flask tumbled from his hand. Xiam caught the flask and then shouted: "It's done, old man."

The cloaked man appeared down the hall and ran to them. "Well I'm not done yet. We're going to do this on the way."

"But it has to be done by sunrise!" Xiam protested. "We're out of time!"

"And it has to be done on Chinese soil – I know! It will be. But we're too close. Henna will give chase as soon as she knows. Let's take away her options. Not only that, evacuate here. Vanish! I mean it. There's no point in being sacrificial lambs. Go underground. It's only until the Solstice."

"But we were prepared to fight!"

"Why? It won't change anything except you'll all be dead. Let her hunt for you in vain. Go!" the cloaked man said.

Xiam seemed to waver for a moment and then he smiled: "You're a terrible and sneaky old man, Happosai."

Happosai looked at Xiam and laughed. "I never pretended to be otherwise, Xiam. But I can be practical. Go!"

Xiam turned serious. "Wait. His name, Happosai. Give Taro his proper name. Let's keep that much faith."

Happosai looked at the unmoving man. "You are Soulkeeper Taro. Now, Soulkeeper, find some cold water from the tap and douse yourself. We need to leave." Taro turned around to face the sink in his room…

* * *

-Wednesday, June 11, 2003, 8:00PM-

Ranma and Akane sat down at the long table as they were directed by Jakaro's servants. Wales sat on one side of Ranma, but there was an empty chair on the other side of Akane. Other people were being directed to the table as they watched. Jakaro sat at the head with his three disciples, Shiran, Yul, and Tofu on his left. The Prime Minister and his people sat on Jakaro's right. Kuno and three of his ninjas sat next to Othan who was on Tofu's right. Kuno was animatedly discussing with Tofu and Othan the coordination of the mercenaries and the ninjas when Henna attacked Nerima. The Prime Minister sat listening, but had the Self-Defense Force General sitting next to him moderating the discussion. There were three Kitsunes sitting between Wales and the Prime Minister's group who also were involved in the discussion.

Ranma would have loved to have participated in the discussion, but he was caught in another conversation with two Mages across from him who insisted on discussing the relative merits of various Elemental magics in battle. Both the Mages were dismissive of Wind Magic. The discussion became pointed enough that Ranma froze their drinks without a gesture or a word while the two Mages were holding their glasses. Their silent applause (and smirks) made Ranma realized they had been testing him. The two gentlemen became much more genteel after that and offered more honest assessments of the various magics and their counters while politely quizzing both Ranma and Akane on their studies. This continued until someone sat down next to Akane.

"Can't you two talk about anything but shop?" Nabiki asked.

"NABIKI?"

"Tut, tut. Don't be too surprised," she answered. "I'm here as part of Kuno's delegation. Same as Mark and John." She indicated the two Mages who Ranma and Akane had been talking to.

"Okay…" Akane drawled. "Why?"

"She's Kuno's spy," Ciren said as she and Inspector Ojima sat down just beyond Nabiki.

"'Spy ' is such an extravagant word," Nabiki noted. "I am merely gathering information."

"Right, 'spying'," Ciren insisted with a smile.

"What else are you doing?" Akane prompted.

"I may be spreading a little disinformation," Nabiki admitted.

"What? Why?" Ranma asked.

"A few reasons," Nabiki said coyly as she picked up a glass of wine.

"Such as?" he pushed.

"We may need to move people quickly," Nabiki said seriously. "And we won't have time to explain. I'm laying down some ground work in the gossip mills that will make people think there's a problem in the gas lines. When we say to evacuate, they will."

"That's clever," Ciren noted.

"Of course it is," Nabiki said mock-seriously.

"The trick is not to cause a panic," Ojima warned.

"Definitely," Nabiki agreed without a trace of sarcasm.

"What else?" Akane asked.

"There are a few newspaper reporters hanging around too," Nabiki answered. "They've been tracking some of the big wigs to Kuno's offices. They are trying to prove Kuno's buying political favors, so they are hoping to catch the politicians with their hands in the cookie jar."

"Which is why this meeting," Ranma guessed shrewdly.

Nabiki nodded and added: "I have a surprise for the reporters though. They are about to blunder into a Yakuza business meeting." She took a sip of water.

"That could get messy," Akane said in a strangled voice.

Nabiki shook her head. "No," she disagreed. "The Yakuza are expecting them. They'll keep the reporters harmlessly for a few days and let them go – in Hokkaido. By the time the reporters get their bearings again, the Solstice will be done."

"What did it take to get the Yakuza to go along with that?" Ciren asked.

"We have to close the training ground in Itabashi permanently," Nabiki answered. "No half measures this time."

Ranma sighed. "But we need that to build up our Strength outside of the Nexus," he stated.

Nabiki shrugged. "We don't have to leave until after the Solstice. Then it won't be such a priority. We can pick another Ward then – or maybe a town instead – if you want to pursue it. We just have to be quiet about it and not alarm the natives."

"It's a thought," Ranma admitted. He looked around the table then and noted that every seat was now full. Akari and Ryoga were across the table from them sitting next to Kuno's mages. Maomolin and Olaf were with them. Some of the Nerima Councilmen were present too.

"What's wrong, lad?" Ojima asked Ranma. "You look worried."

"Excuse me? What's not to worry about?"

"True," Ojima acknowledged. "Was there something in particular though?"

"Something Kuno said – he mentioned the Martial Artists, but none of them are here. How are we going to coordinate with them?" Ranma asked.

Nabiki pointed at Ojima, who accepted his cue. "Son," Ojima started. "The Martial Artists are fighters, but they are not soldiers. Who leads them?"

Ranma opened his mouth, but closed it again. His face took on a resigned expression.

"Correct," Ojima told him. He pointed deliberately at Akari, Ryoga, Akane, and finally Ranma. "You four have been training with mercenaries for the better part of the last six months. You're not just fighters, you are warriors. The rest of the Martial Artists don't have that training. Cohesive action with other units is not part of their make-up – they can barely work within themselves."

"They won't sit this one out," Ranma warned.

"I agree," Ojima stated. "They are incapable of skipping a fight."

"So, what are you going to have them do?" Akane asked.

"What they do best – protect their neighbors. When we have to evacuate civilians, the Martial Artists will help with the evacuations and then guard the civilians at the evacuation center," he answered. "Their sense of honor will keep them at the task – for the most part."

"And when it doesn't?" Ryoga prompted.

"That will be if Henna is knocking at the doors," the Inspector said gravely. "In that case, all bets are off anyway."

* * *

-Wednesday, June 11, 2003, 11:15PM-

Akane lay in Ranma's arms in a private room Lord Jakaro had set aside for them. They were on the bed, fully dressed in their formal wear and both of them were a little subdued. The War Council had ended an hour ago and the solemnity was still with them. Most of the discussions had centered on coordination of forces. There had also been talk about the protection of civilians and the establishment of triage units to help the wounded.

There was a knock on the door. "Ranma? Akane? It's me, Tofu. Can I come in?"

Ranma looked at Akane and she nodded, so Ranma called out: "Yeah, come on in."

Doctor Tofu Ono entered the room still wearing his formal red robes. "I just wanted to check on you," he stated. The young couple sat up and looked at each other. Then they shrugged. "How do you feel about everything?" Tofu pressed.

Ranma snorted. "Oh, just great. I have to somehow keep the city from exploding and Akane has to defeat a centuries old witch who's coming here to kill Akari."

Tofu sighed and pulled over an ornate chair.

Akane asked somewhat plaintively: "Tofu? How do we know any of this stuff is going to happen? Henna's in China. She knows we are waiting for her. How do we know she's coming?"

"She's not going to have a choice, Akane. Once Mizu dies, Henna will start aging very fast. She has to get to the new Sprite or die. She's going to attack Akari and we have to be ready."

"So why don't we take Akari somewhere else – like not a populated area. How about an army base?" Ranma pressed.

"Rera said the Storm is coming here," Tofu reminded him. "You and he are going to need the new Sprite's help to break it up. If you and Akari are not here, Nerima will be destroyed anyway."

"But what if she doesn't come - or attacks somewhere else?" Akane pressed.

"As cold as this sounds, then Henna is not our problem," Tofu replied. "We'll have a free hand to deal with the Storm, and we can clean up Henna's mess after we're done here. China – or somewhere else – might lose a city or two to Henna's Blood magic as she desperately tries to extend her life, but compared to the fate of the world, a couple hundred thousand means nothing."

"You're right, that does sound cold," Ranma said soberly.

Tofu shrugged. "Billions will die if the Storm is allowed to progress. Sometimes you have to go for the lesser of two evils. But I don't think Cronus is wrong. Henna is coming to Nerima. We have to deal with her."

"What about Shampoo?" Akane asked quietly.

Now Tofu blew out a deep breath. "I didn't forget about her," he answered. "Death is one thing; damnation is another. My Master has a plan though. You fight her before the Solstice and knock her out. Then we bring her here to Glowsdown, away from Henna. That will stop Henna from enforcing the spell."

"And that will cure her?" Akane asked hopefully.

"No," Tofu said as he shook his head. "The spell is also driven by the victim's guilt, and Shampoo's soaked in it. We have to break the guilt to cure her."

"How do we do that?" Ranma jumped in before Akane could ask.

"We wipe her mind," Tofu said somberly.

"WHAT?"

"Those are the options," he said pointedly. "Kill her, damn her, or wipe her mind. The Amazons themselves often preferred mind wipes to killing their enemies as the situation called for."

The shoulders of the young couple sagged. "Whoa…" Ranma said in a low voice.

"She also won't be able to stay on Earth anymore. She'll have to go to another Realm, but the Kitsunes can find something suitable. Hell, she might just stay in Glowsdown," Tofu added. "I'm sorry, but that's all we could come up with. She can't stay as she is and be free of Hell."

"But it's only marginally better…" Akane started and then stopped. "Oh, I really don't know," she finished frustratedly.

"For what it's worth, I think anything is better than damnation," Tofu told them. "And I think that's the bottom line." The couple blew out a breath but gave no other acknowledgement. "Anyway, there's nothing more that can be done tonight. Try to relax and unwind. The Master wants you two to stay here for a couple of days so you can have a break before the final sprint. Ryoga and Akari are to stay put as well. I'll be heading back with the rest to watch over Nerima."

* * *

Next up: The Theft


	6. The Theft

Chapter 6: The Theft

-Thursday, June 12, 2003, 4:55AM-

Happosai had Taro land. They were still over 1600 kilometers away from Shanghai and its mages, but he dare not put it off any further: the first hints of dawn were starting to show in the sky. The little man took the liter bottle from the bull monster and held it up to look at it. "It took us a long time to get a piece of the Sprite," Happosai thought. "But we have it. Now to call Her." He produced the vial of silver fillings and poured the filings into the bottle. Then he lifted the bottle before him and began chanting in a hideous sounding language.

* * *

The Sprite was lying in her tank drowning in melancholy when she felt a shudder pass through her. "What was that?" she wondered. A wave of nausea struck her and she started retching. Pain started in her abdomen and propagated outwards in waves. She continued to convulse until she coughed up a glowing gold ring. "What the hell?" she thought. Now the pain resumed and she started heaving. It intensified until she vomited up a stream of clean water containing silver filings. She watched in horror as the clean water began to grow and expand, converting her green water to clear. "It's destroying my essence," she screamed out loud in a panicked voice. "NOOO!"

* * *

Henna heard the Sprite's scream and instinctively ran toward it. There was no mistaking the mortal terror in it. She ran toward the down stairways only to find Ba standing in her way. "Out of my way," she demanded. "You can't touch me!" But Ba didn't touch her. He just continued to block the staircase. She tried to push him out of the way, but Ba sprouted a huge set of bat wings that spanned the passageway. The Sprite's screaming grew more intense. "MOVE!" Henna commanded. But Ba folded his arms and just stood there. "Contract or no Contract! I will destroy you," Henna screamed. With that, she launched an energy blast against the demon, but it only passed right through him. "Damn you!" she shouted. "Let's see you stop this!"

A shriveled arm shot out of the wall and grabbed Ba about the throat. The demon responded by yanking the arm (and its desiccated zombie owner) out of the wall. Ba then grabbed the zombie's head and pushed the head through the zombie's torso until the zombie was a little pile of goo on the floor. Another arm shot out and the demon repeated the process. Then another arm appeared with the same result. Again and again, the zombies that formed the walls of the house attacked Ba and he destroyed them all. However, the demon didn't notice that the passage was getting wider as the building blocks of the house were demolished. He destroyed one key block and Henna dove passed the demon.

* * *

Down in her tank, the Sprite Mizu watched in horror as the cloud of silver filings converted all her green water to clear, destroying her substance. Now the cloud moved toward her body proper. "NO!" she screamed again as she thrust her hand into the cloud to try and fend it off, but her hand dissolved in the cloud. There was no pain – the hand just disappeared into water. The terror overwhelmed her and she screamed again "AHHHH!" The silver cloud enveloped her and she watched in horror as her body began to boil away. She tried to scream once more, but found her throat had liquefied. She felt her jaw vanish; only her eyes could convey what she felt, and it was those eyes that Henna saw before they popped into bubbles of clean water.

* * *

Happosai watched the color of water in the bottle deepen. Then the bottle began glowing. "Hello Queen Mizu," Happosai said as he capped the bottle again. Runes were now visible through the glow. He took the time to seal the bottle with hot wax. "Safe and sound, your majesty," he told the bottle. "Cheer up, at least there's no torture here." Happosai handed the bottle to Taro. "She's yours to keep safe, my boy. Now let's mount up and get out of here."

* * *

Ba walked down the stairs to see Henna staring at the tank of clean water. With a grin, he shattered the glass sending water flooding through the bathroom that had been the Sprite's prison. The water somehow flowed around Henna without getting her wet or otherwise touching her. She looked at the demon and growled: "I promise you, I will eat you yet and enjoy every single bite." The water eventually drained away and Henna walked over to a mirror. "She's not dead. I'd start aging if she was. She's still mine. I can feel her. There is no true escape from me." She cast a Viewing Sphere, but Ba's image appeared in it instead of the location of the Sprite. She looked hard at the demon who grinned back insolently. "So we're back to that old game, are we? How unoriginal." The demon's bovine head looked unimpressed.

"As I said, I can still feel her," Henna told him. "I know what direction she is fleeing. I'll send a golem after her and bring her back to me." Ba shook his head though and walked over to block the stairs once more. Immediately, hands rose from the walls and ceiling to stop him. Henna ran past him as the demon was busy destroying zombies again. She ran up the stairs, across the house, and down into her workshop. She quickly picked up some ingredients which she threw into a bowl. Taking the bowl to the central fire pit, she threw the contents into the fire and blew a long breath on the fire until a small tornado formed among the flames. "Breath of my body – do my will…" she intoned. "Go and find the Sprite Mizu."

Immediately, Henna could see using her automation. The Wind golem moved up the stairs onto the main floor of her house. She saw Ba running toward the golem and had it move quickly away from him down the hallway toward the front door which was opening for it. The golem was almost out the door when Henna suddenly had a vision of Hell and the golem vanished from her thoughts. "NO!" she shouted as reality reasserted itself. Ba had cast a Gate at the golem and destroyed it! The demon had never done that before! "The gloves are coming off. I'm getting to see what he's really capable of," she thought. "But the Contract cuts both ways – he can't actually hurt me; or any living thing."

Ba strode into the room and stood in front of the exit. Henna looked at him. "You were able to block me until the Sprite was gone. But it's because I made a mistake: I tried to push you out of the way. I can just walk through you if I don't attack you." With that she strode toward Ba determinately and closed her eyes just before she crashed into him. As expected, she met no resistance. When she opened her eyes again, Ba was directly in front of her, but he had moved backwards. Once more, Henna closed her eyes and walked forward up the stairs, meeting no resistance. She continued walking up until she was back on the main floor. Opening her eyes, she stared up into Ba's cat eyes and said: "Give it up. It won't work again." Ba just folded his arms across his chest emotionlessly.

Henna turned away from him and went to her throne room to retrieve her phone. Ba followed but did not try and block her anymore. Henna never noticed the gold ring clenched in his fist or the fanged smirk on his face.

* * *

-Thursday, June 12, 2003, 5:35AM-

The Amazon Curtain watched the sun break the horizon as she stood in the small nondescript airfield. Then she turned to look at her people gathered in front of the small jet airplane. The airplane seemed to be capable of carrying about twenty people. Curtain nodded her head. The women in her group began to chant while the men proceeded to walk around the airplane carrying burning incense censers. Both sexes wore ceremonial robes the army had procured at the Elder Razor's directive. The purpose of the ceremony was to consecrate the plane to receive a holy relic sent from the Village. Curtain didn't know what the relic was or why Razor wanted it sent away, but her group was tasked with finding a new resting place for the item.

General Xie watched the celebrants for a minute and then went back to studying the sky. "Any communications?" he asked a nearby aide.

"No sir," the man answered. "But there wouldn't be."

Xie sighed. "No, there wouldn't be," he thought. Happosai was on his own and there was nothing Xie could do about it. Any communications might tip the witch that Beijing was moving against her; something that must be avoided. Otherwise, the repercussions would be severe – as they had been in the past.

He looked back at the ceremony around the plane and then turned to his aide. "The Amazons will need about an hour to finish the consecration ceremony outside the plane," Xie said. "Then they will move inside. Once they do, have the plane fueled. I want it in the air as soon as he gets here."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

-Thursday, June 12, 2003, 6:25PM-

Henna looked out over Shanghai as her plane angled to land at a small airport. It had been twelve hours since the Sprite was taken from her. Since that time, she had called one of her assassin squads and told them to come get her. Meanwhile she had another squad find a light jet airplane she could use to track the escapee. She still knew where her former captive was due to the existing psychic link – at least as far as direction and distance went. Once the first squad had delivered her to the plane, she had the pilot take off and fly on the bearing she gave him. Looking at a map, she thought the Sprite was somehow near the city of Shanghai. "I'll find her yet," Henna thought. "Ba will not stop me."

The demon was still with her. Nothing she could do stopped him from following her. During the jeep ride, he had simply run alongside the car. Her assassins had tried to shoot at the monster, only to have their bullets pass right through the demon. One courageous man had actually tried to stab Ba, but Ba grabbed the knife, picked up the assassin and threw the man away contemptuously. The assassin was stunned, but otherwise unhurt. When the second squad tried to block Ba from boarding the plane, the demon ignored them all, phased through the side of the plane, and seated himself behind Henna. Henna noted that Ba didn't like flying though. His fists were clenched the whole time.

* * *

General Xie watched the small jet approach the Shanghai airspace on the radar. It was so tempting. One-surface-to-air missile and the plane would be blown out of the sky. He knew it wouldn't kill the witch though. She'd survive and then kill a hundred people in response, turning them painfully into zombies. The General's predecessor had once tried the same plan and died as a result. Xie was wiser than to repeat failed plans. Hopefully this one wouldn't lead to any deaths – at least in China. He turned to his assistant and ordered: "All right. Close all the small airports and direct all airplanes to queue up at Hongqiao. Tell them we've had an outage. I want Henna's plane in the back of the queue."

* * *

Happosai and Taro (now in human form and carrying the Sprite's bottle) ran across the tarmac toward the waiting jet on the runway.

"C'mon, move it, Soulkeeper! The witch is in our air space!" the old man urged.

"Shove it, bastard!" Taro growled. "Or I'll remember it was you who got me into this! Be happy this is more important than killing you!"

They ran to the jet where General Xie was waiting for them. "What's to keep her from killing you when you're airborne?!" the General demanded.

"I've got it covered!" Happosai answered.

"I want my men back!" the General warned him.

"Is everyone else on the plane?" Happosai asked.

"Yes! The Amazons are on board! The Lore is here too!" Xie responded. "So's the three Mages! I want them back too!"

"Good! I can't Cloak others. Let's get started." Happosai walked quickly up the plane's gangway.

General Xie grabbed Taro just before he started up. "Don't," the General warned. "Just Don't. We still need him."

Soulkeeper blew out his frustration. "I hear you," he said. "But once this is all over, I make no promises." The general nodded sharply.

* * *

Henna felt the change in the Sprite's elevation. "So you're trying to fly her out, whoever you are?" she thought. She ran into the cockpit. "Break east now!" she ordered the pilot.

"But…" the pilot started.

"If anyone gets in our way, I'll kill them," she stated grimly. The pilot nodded sharply and did what he was told.

* * *

Xie stood back in the local control tower which was thirty-five miles from Henna's airport. "General!" the air traffic controller called out. "She's broken pattern! What do we do?"

"Have them order the plane back and divert traffic from its flight path," Xie ordered. "Tell them to make no threats. Plead more than anything else. And warn Happosai's plane over the secure channel."

* * *

Happosai stood in the doorway of his plane's cockpit. "Sir!" the pilot called out. "She's after us."

The old man ran back into the passenger section of the jet. "All right. It's time to Cloak!" he told the Mages.

"But that won't stop radar from seeing us!" one of the Mages protested.

"Henna's plane probably doesn't have radar! She's the one we are worried about! CLOAK!"

The Mages began chanting desperately…

* * *

Henna sense of the Sprite grew fuzzy for a moment and then cleared. "Nice try," she thought. "The Sprite is mine. You cannot hide her from me with a simple Cloak. I know where she is. And soon she'll be in range. It's time for you to die."

* * *

"Sir!" Happosai's pilot called out. "We have fog rising from the ground!"

Happosai turned to the Mages. "Keep chanting no matter what you do! Our lives depend on it!" Then he turned to the rest of the passengers. "Stay in your seats buckled up. Brace yourselves for sharp maneuvers!" With that, he ran forward to the cockpit.

"What's our altitude?" Happosai demanded.

"Two thousand meters!" the pilot barked back.

"Fog can't hurt us here. She's building a storm to trash the plane. Climb out of here now! And swing south."

* * *

"Tut, tut," Henna thought. "It won't be that easy…"

"Mistress!" her pilot called out. "There's a storm rising directly in front of us."

"It can't hurt us," she said distractedly. "Ignore it and swing to the southeast."

"But…"

"Do it or I'll kill you myself."

"Yes, Mistress…" the pilot swallowed hard.

* * *

Happosai stood in the doorway using his Martial Arts skills to remain in place as the plane was buffeted by strong winds. Thunder also shook the plane. He watched the altimeter climb, but he could feel the storm growing beneath the plane.

"Four-one-nine, you have a supercell storm forming around you!" the radio crackled.

"Storms don't just form out of nowhere!" the pilot shouted to Happosai. "What the hell is happening?!"

"Four-one-nine, head southeast!" the radio ordered.

"Do it!" Happosai shouted. "Do it and pray!" Then he muttered. "C'mon, you bastard…"

* * *

Henna felt the Sprite shift from south to the southeast. "I missed a spot, did I?" she said quietly to herself. With a thought, she had the storm expand in that direction chasing the unseen airplane. Her opponent's plane was somewhat faster than hers, but that didn't matter anymore: she could drive the storm to be even faster. With a chuckle she added "There's no escape from me…"

* * *

Happosai's pilot watched as a thunderhead rose directly in front of his flight path. "Sir!" he yelled to Happosai.

"I see it – swing to the east!" the old man shouted back.

The radio snapped: "Four-one-nine, you're heading into a downdraft!"

"East! Go east!" Happosai ordered.

"But the control tower…"

"East! And Climb! Climb fast!" Happosai shouted as the plane was abruptly slammed to the side. Screams escaped from the passengers in the main cabin. Suddenly, the plane dropped. Happosai was slammed against the cockpit ceiling as the pilot wrestled for control of the plane. "Climb!" Happosai shouted from where he was plastered to the ceiling.

The pilot ignored him and tried to find the edge of the down draft. He managed to break the plane free and started to climb again. Happosai hit the floor hard. "All right, that works!" the old man said. The pilot opened up the throttle and Happosai had to stop himself from being flung out of the cockpit. Lightning passed under the jet and thunder deafened everyone inside. Wind gusts began battering the airplane again. The overhead lights flickered on and off. There was more screaming from the passengers.

The pilot shouted out: "Whatever trick you have up your sleeve, old man, now is the time!"

* * *

Aboard Henna's plane, Ba relished the terror he felt from the remote plane and then sighed. He opened his hand where the gold ring still sat on his palm. He took the ring and slid it over a long slender claw. Once it hit the base of the claw, he slid the ring down over the stump of his pinky finger and settled it into place.

* * *

Henna felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. She immediately buckled and vomited over the cockpit floor. "Mistress!" one of her assassins called out as she heaved doubled over. Henna continued to throw up until her stomach was empty.

"No!" she thought. "This can't be happening! Something's poisoning me!"

* * *

"Does this thing fly any faster!" Happosai demanded.

"I'm doing the best I can!" the pilot shouted back. "This is not a fighter jet! If we go too fast, we'll break up."

"If we don't get out of here, we are going to break up!"

The radio burst to life again: "Four-one-nine, the storm's slowing down! It's starting to swing due south again! Take a new bearing to 45 degrees."

"About bloody time," Happosai muttered.

* * *

General Xie looked at the radar screen grimly. Henna's plane was continuing southeast, but Happosai's plane was heading northeast. He watched the gap between the two planes widen silently for fifteen minutes, and then Henna's plane swung back to the west. Xie blew out a breath. "Tell Happosai he's in the clear. Have them take a bearing to Okinawa. Make sure everyone stays away from Henna's plane." The controller nodded and then turned to speak into his radio.

The general turned and faced his silently watching men. "It's done," he said with a slight smile. "Mission objective achieved. No matter what happens from here on in, Queen Mizu is now the Japanese's problem."

* * *

Henna sat in her seat on the plane unmoving. "I can't locate the Sprite anymore. If I try, I get ill," she thought. "My enemies have managed to put up a barrier between us despite the connection. I've only got a vague sense that she's heading toward west – it's too broad an area to strike against in such short time." She continued to sit brooding. "So, this is it: the Council's final move against me. My enemy sits hunkered down in Nerima and the Sprite is being brought to Akari Unryu for execution. No." Henna shook herself. "No. I will not accept this. I will make this their final move ever."

She looked over at a waiting assassin. "Get me a map of Japan now," she ordered. Then she stood up and strode to the cockpit. "Get us home now!" she told the pilot. "Go straight to Nyucheizu as fast as possible. Don't worry about landing; I'm getting off by parachute if I have to."

"Yes, Mistress," the pilot acknowledged.

Henna went back to her seat and accepted the map. She looked at it and then snapped: "Get me weather forecasts for Nagasaki, Jeju, and Kagoshima." Her attendant nodded and started barking orders to his fellows.

Henna continued to look at the map until her man came back. "There's rain in Nagasaki, but Kagoshima has mostly clear skies, Mistress."

"What about Jeju?"

"Cloudy skies, Mistress."

Henna blew out a breath. "If they go to Jeju, that will give me more time. But I can use the weather in Nagasaki to force them to Kagoshima," she thought. "Nagasaki's about to see a bad storm…"

Out loud, she said: "Put out the word: There's an airplane landing in Kagoshima from Shanghai that filed a flight plan on short notice. The plane is likely a small passenger jet given the speed and maneuverability. There's a five million yen bounty for any information on the passengers and cargo."

"Mistress!" the assassin burst out.

She grabbed the assassin by the collar. "This is end game for me," she told him very directly. "Spare no expense."

"Yes, Mistress!"

She let the man go. "Look for any info on such a plane flying through the Kagoshima airspace, just in case they have extra fuel, but I doubt it. Also, put out the word I want men in Kitakyushu ASAP for an interception. This is an assassination – no survivors. The targets will be known shortly." The man nodded and left to find the satellite phone.

Henna thought again: "You want me to go to Nerima and leave my house unguarded…but that's not going to happen…"

* * *

General Xie watched Henna's plane turn back toward the west – and her house in Qinghai. "Of course it couldn't be that easy. I got rid of the Sprite, but not Henna," he muttered. He picked up a phone and dialed his office in Yushu. "Colonel Xuan? Give the order to stand-down. Operation Firestorm is on hold." After a pause, he added: "I don't know. But if we want Yushu to be standing tomorrow, have everyone stand-down now…"

* * *

A/N: Next up - Lessons in Magic


	7. Lessons in Magic

Chapter 7: Lessons in Magic

-Friday, June 13, 2003, 8:30AM-

Akane walked into the large gymnasium to find Shiran, Jakaro's eldest disciple, waiting for her. "Good morning milady," the Kitsune greeted her. Shiran was wearing his Kitsune form with all seven of his tails displayed. His hands were half-raised and there was a bright flowing arch of fire rising from one hand, over his head, and back to his other hand.

Akane couldn't help but be slightly awed by his form and action. "Lord Jakaro said we were going to work together today," she said a little timidly.

"We are," the Kitsune stated. His fire arch shrunk and then broke into two short pillars, each about 30 centimeters tall. The pillar in his right hand shaped itself until it became the rough outline of a woman, and then sharpened until it was an image of Akane wrapped in fire. The pillar in his left hand grew a little taller and then became a fire-wrapped image of Tofu bearing five Kitsune tails. Shiran continued: "I've talked to your teacher, and he and I agree: He's taken your Fire skills as far as he can in the past year, but we're out of time. So it's time you learned from his Teacher: Me." Akane nodded her head. Shiran pronounced: "There's another set of Fire skills you need right now, especially with Shampoo spoiling for a fight."

Akane straightened up somewhat and said: "But I can handle Shampoo."

The figures vanished and a ring of fire surrounded Shiran about his waist. "You mean you can beat the crap out of her," he said severely. "We don't have time for an extended fight and there's a chance you might injure her too much - or yourself."

"I can hit her with a Thunder Strike," Akane replied pointedly. "I know that will stun her."

"Typical human," Shiran said dismissively with a wave of his hand. "Use a big club when a tap on the head will do. One of the reasons Tofu was never able to master this skill."

"Huh?"

Shiran's face adopted a pitying expression. "Maybe humans just lack the subtlety the skill requires," he said condescendingly. Shiran's ring of fire shrank to become a ring of light. The ring duplicated itself and spun off repeatedly until Shiran was surrounded by sixteen rings of light forming a globe about himself. Then the rings sharpened until they looked like they were cast by a laser. "Well, if you're not interested…" He turned away from Akane.

"Wait!" she said hurriedly. "You said Tofu couldn't master the skill?"

"No," Shiran stated as he paused. Akane couldn't see the sly expression across the Kitsune's face.

"I can do it," Akane told him.

Shiran looked back over his shoulder at her with a raised eyebrow. "You? My dear, you're as subtle as a fist in the face." The globe of rings vanished.

Akane squashed even the hint of anger; she refused to prove the Kitsune's point. "I use to be," she admitted. "But I've grown. I'm Kasumi's sister. I've watched and learned subtlety from her. I even know that you're manipulating me right now. But I don't care. I want to learn."

Shiran gave her a small smile, pleased that she had caught on. "Maybe, just maybe, you have learned enough. Let's find out," he said. Akane nodded her head, so Shiran turned around and threw a softball of fire at Akane. The young woman caught the ball in both hands and held it, her Mage power protecting her against it. She looked at Shiran questioningly. "You didn't dodge it," he noted. "Why not?"

"It's just normal fire," Akane answered. "It's not going to explode." With that the fire grew brighter for a moment and then dimmed back again. "O.K.," Akane corrected. "How about: I'm not going to let you explode it in my face?"

Shiran smiled again. "How did you stop it from exploding?" he asked.

"I threw the excess energy into the room," she replied.

"And there's your first mistake," he said. "How do you know the energy was 'excess'?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you say 'excess'? I gave the ball the energy it was suppose to have," he pointed out.

Akane struggled with the thought for a moment. "Because it was more than I wanted it to have," she said finally.

"So it was a point-of-view?" he questioned.

"I guess…"

Shiran made a gesture and the ball vanished. "Interesting," he noted. He made another gesture and a table appeared with three glasses of water. One was boiling, one looked normal, and the other was frozen solid. "How much energy should each of these glasses of water have?" he quizzed.

"Are they normal water?" she asked. He nodded so she replied: "They are what they are."

"Are they the same?"

"Of course not," she answered.

"If I told you to make them the same, what would you do?" he prodded.

"I'd heat the ice until it became water and then boil both waters," she stated.

"What else could you do?"

"Is this a riddle?"

"Of sorts – it's more of a point-of-view," Shiran told her.

Akane thought about that and then chuckled. "I could just leave them alone." At Shiran's gesture, she continued: "The ice would melt and the boiling water would cool."

"Why? Think in terms of energy transfers…" he pushed.

"The ice gains energy from the room and the boiling water loses energy to the room," Akane answered.

"Can you speed up the cooling?"

Akane looked stunned for a moment. "I suppose so," she answered. "I can pull energy from the boiling water and push it out to the room."

"Do it," Shiran commanded. Akane concentrated and the boiling water cooled. "Colder," he said. She concentrated further and the water cooled further. "Colder," he repeated. Akane managed to get the water to room temperature. "Colder," Shiran pushed.

"But it's at room temperature," Akane told him.

"So?" Shiran asked her.

"It has no more energy to give."

"Really? Doesn't it have more energy than the ice?" Shiran pointed out.

"Then I'd be freezing…" she stopped. "I can't absorb energy like Ranma can."

"Point-of-view, Akane," Shiran pressed. "Doesn't it have more energy to give? Can't it be extracted by a machine? Can it be extracted by you? A fire mage can generate energy, but can't we also move it about? Can't you extinguish a flame?" She nodded her head. "You dump energy to the room when you do that. What's different here? Everything this side of Absolute Zero has energy." He picked up the plain glass of water and it froze in his hand. "What's to stop you from taking it?"

Akane gaped at him. "What? You thought only Wind Mages could do that?" Shiran quizzed. "Yin and Yang, Akane. What's in one is in the other. Agitate air real fast and it gets warm – you just have to do it right." He raised an eyebrow again. "Can you do it right, Akane?" He tapped the glass of formerly boiling water.

Akane took a deep breath and focused on the glass. After a minute, she swore.

"What's wrong?" Shiran asked with a smile.

"The heat keeps leaking back in!" she said with frustration.

"You have to push it out faster than it leaks in, Akane."

She continued to focus. After five minutes of this, Shiran stuck a finger in the water. "Not bad for a first attempt. The water's cold."

Akane blew out a breath. "But it didn't freeze."

"And did you think you'd get it first try? How many katas did you do right the first time?" he half-laughed. She blushed at that. "Maybe it's nothing to be proud of, but it's a start. Let's go through some drills and build a new muscle."

"You lied to me," she challenged.

"Probably," he laughed again. "How so?"

"You said Tofu couldn't do this. I'm sure he can freeze a glass of water."

"No, I said Tofu never mastered the skill. Freezing a glass of water is child's play."

"So, what can a Master do then?" she pressed.

Shiran drew himself up with a wicked grin and proclaimed: "THIS!"

Akane's jaw dropped as it began snowing in the gymnasium.

* * *

-Friday, June 13, 2003, 8:55AM-

Ranma followed Lord Jakaro up the mountainside. Both of them wore blue gis, although the gi Jakaro wore did nothing to hide his Kitsune shape or his nine tails. Below them, the fields of Glowsdown lay in autumn splendor. "Your seasons match Australia," Ranma noted as they climbed.

"No, Ranma, there's no winter here," Jakaro answered. "The seasons consist of spring, summer, and autumn. Each one is about four months long as measured by your world."

"So, no winter," Ranma mused. "No loss."

Jakaro chuckled. "Maybe, but there are drawbacks: the bugs can be a nuisance – and huge."

"This is your Realm," Ranma pointed out. "Why can't you just get rid of them?"

"Because this is a natural world, Ranma, and there are consequences for breaking the Balance. You should be very well aware of that by now," the Kitsune observed shrewdly.

Ranma stopped momentarily to consider that, and then continued to follow. "All right," he admitted. "I do know."

"For example?" Lord Jakaro asked.

"No bugs: no silk. No bugs: no pollinators. No bugs: no small mammals. So, no bugs: no clothing and no food," Ranma rattled off.

"Well, well," the Kitsune nodded approvingly. "You have been taking your lessons to heart, haven't you."

"Tofu's been pushing Yin and Yang on me every chance he gets," Ranma grumbled. "I know Balance is important, but he's really been stressing it."

"Good. He was suppose to," Jakaro said.

"Care to explain? He never did – just said it was important."

"You know why it's important," Jakaro reproved.

"Yes, but why tell me? It seems ever since I fell into the Nyanniichuan I've had the Balance shoved under my fingernails," Ranma said. Before Jakaro could ask a question, Ranma went on: "I had to learn what it was to be a woman as well as a man. Then I had to learn what it was to be a cat without the flipping out. Once I started to get all three set – finally – I get tied together with Ryoga and I get to see what it's like to be a pig. After that, the Jellyfish King came along and showed me what it was like to be a fish. Then you lot come along and I get to learn what foxes are all about. One more trip to visit Lady Kazue and I learn about horses. It seems like everyone has been sharing themselves with me and I don't know why."

"Do you mind?" Jakaro asked him.

"Well, no…I mean, yeah, the whole thing flipped me out when I first became a cat and then a woman, but otherwise, it's been sort of cool. But it seems to be a thing that could damage somebody permanently," Ranma answered. "I know there have been times when I've felt stressed to the max."

"And yet you've come out the other side intact," Jakaro noted. "No matter what happened, you've always had a strong sense of self. You've always been 'Ranma'. That's one of the reasons things happened to you – no one else could take it."

"Thanks…" Ranma drawled. "That makes it so much better."

Jakaro chuckled as they continued to walk up the mountainside. "Ranma, I don't know why you. I just know it is you. For some reason, you're the Defender. Somehow, someway, it's you. Let me ask you a question: Let's say I could give you the power to walk away. Just say 'No' and let someone else deal with the Storm. Would you take it?"

Ranma drew himself up. "Back away from a challenge? Never!"

"Is that the only reason?" Jakaro prodded.

Ranma dropped his shoulders. "You mean like Akane? I'd rather die than let her face Henna alone."

Jakaro shrugged. "So take her with you…would you leave?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'd never get her to leave."

"So knock her out. Let's say it's possible. Would you leave?"

Ranma stopped walking and studied the ground. "No."

"Again, why not?" Jakaro pressed as he stopped as well.

"Because people will die without me," Ranma answered.

"And you don't want them to die," Jakaro said softly. "You care, Ranma of Nerima. That's why you. Because you give a damn. Even when you didn't know how to say it, you cared. You've always had some measure of empathy."

At Lord Jakaro's gesture, they started to walk uphill again. "Akane would argue that with you," Ranma snorted as they started.

"Not really," Jakaro disagreed. "She knows you quite well. You're a lot alike in many ways. Like her, you've always been able to feel compassion for someone. You knew how they felt; you just didn't always know what to do about it."

Ranma sighed. "So where does that leave me?"

"Well, we are going on a Spirit Quest of sorts," Jakaro answered him.

"Been there, done that," Ranma noted.

"Ah, but it's not your spirit we are on a quest for," the Kitsune told him.

"Whose then?"

"Depends who we find – we're almost there."

Ranma followed Jakaro to a ledge outcropping hanging from the side of the mountain they had climbed. "Look over the edge, Ranma," Jakaro commanded.

Ranma shrugged and walked to the end of the ledge. Immediately, he noted the view of the Kitsunes' valley spread out before him. About a kilometer down, he could see the extravagant palace-house of Lord Jakaro. Gardens and vineyards filled the valley. Here and there, other more modest houses dotted the landscape. "It's beautiful," Ranma shrugged again. "But I don't understand."

"Not the landscape, Ranma. Look down the cliff face," Jakaro told him.

Ranma did so, at first not understanding, but then he saw it. A large nest was about a hundred meters down the cliff face. Standing near the nest was what could only be a large golden eagle. The dark brown bird was easily two meters in length. As Ranma looked on, it stretched its wings whose span was at least four meters. "Whoa," Ranma uttered.

"Behold the King of the Skies," Jakaro intoned softly. With that, the Kitsune made a whistling cry and the great bird pushed off from the cliff face and soared away. Then it turned and began to rise on an apparent thermal.

"That's not possible – he's a Wind Mage!" Ranma burst out.

"What's not possible?" Jakaro asked as he watched the eagle climb.

"It's morning and without a breeze!" Ranma exclaimed. "There are no thermals now! He's rising without flapping his wings!"

"Very good, young mortal!" the giant eagle proclaimed loudly as he approached from above. "Incoming!" Jakaro and Ranma stepped back to give the bird somewhere to land. The eagle touched down soundlessly, turned to Jakaro and said: "Well met, Fox King!" The bird's voice was lower than Ranma expected; more bass than treble. The eagle then faced Ranma and added: "And you must be my student: Ranma of Nerima." Ranma's eyes became as big as dinner plates.

"Ranma," Jakaro started. "This is Tygwaki, King of the Golden Eagles."

Ranma bowed and Tygwaki nodded his head in return. Ranma then said: "Student? What am I learning?"

"Why, good man," the eagle stated. "What birds, do best: Fly!"

"O.K. this I gotta see. I can summon a tornado and lift myself with it, but I don't think that's what you're talking about," Ranma stated.

"No, nothing so clumsy," Tygwaki replied. "Jakaro said you were a shape shifter."

"I change into a woman and into a cat; that's it," Ranma told him.

"Good enough," Tygwaki replied with a bit of relief in his voice.

"Huh?"

"You're body's already use to Chaos magic," Jakaro spoke up. "So it won't go into shock when we shift your shape for a few hours."

"Excuse me?"

"Think on it, Wind Mage," Tygwaki told Ranma. "You can already master the wind currents…Wouldn't you like to master them in a new way?"

"Wait. You can control Chaos Magic?" Ranma pushed back.

"Well, not quite," Jakaro admitted. "It will take the two of us to cast the spell and it will only hold for a few hours at most. And it only works on those blessed by Jusenkyo. But we can turn you into an eagle temporarily."

"And I'll be able to fly?" Ranma asked in disbelief.

"Well, the fact that you're a Wind Mage will allow you to learn very fast," Tygwaki answered. "At least you don't have to worry about falling – your own Power will allow you to land safely no matter what."

Ranma thought about that for a few minutes while the two Animal Lords waited hopefully. Finally, a crazy grin broke out on his face and he said: "Let's do this."

Jakaro and Tygwaki smiled together and stood on either side of Ranma. "Extend your arms," Jakaro told Ranma. The young man did so and Tygwaki touched the back of one of Ranma's hands with his wingtip while Jakaro touched the other hand with his paw. "On three," Jakaro said. "One…two…THREE!"

It was just as fast as the shape change to his female form – no feeling of fluidity. One instant, Ranma was human. The next instant, Ranma lost well over half his size and mass. He now stood about a meter tall, and his arms were now wings stretching about two meters. "Whoa," Ranma said in a low voice that sounded close to his male tones.

"Not bad," Tygwaki commented. "You really do have a strong sense of self. Ready?"

"Hold on a minute," Jakaro said. As his two companions watched, the Kitsune's form melted into another eagle, about midway between Tygwaki's and Ranma's size. "All right, I'm good."

Tygwaki looked at Ranma and said: "Hop along the ground here and get use to your body. Use your wings to balance yourself."

Ranma did as he was told. After five minutes of this, he flapped his wings a few times and managed not to fall over. "Good," Tygwaki told him. "Your martial arts training gives you a good sense of balance. Now use your strength and leap higher." The transformed Martial Artist leaped ten meters up and glided to the ground. "Better. Do it again," the giant eagle told him. Ranma repeated the leaps and glides over and over again until he felt an impulse to extend the glide by flapping his wings. He stalled his flight on his first attempt, but his Wind Magic kicked in, giving him enough time to sort out what he was doing wrong. He landed upright on the rough ground.

"How do you feel?" Jakaro asked Ranma.

"I feel great," Ranma answered. "I think I'm starting to understand what to do with the tail feathers."

"Not bad," Tygwaki agreed. "Keep going; the morning is wearing on," he urged.

Thirty minutes later, Tygwaki stopped him. "Enough, young eagle. It's time to go. Over the edge."

Ranma nodded and leaped up and toward the cliff edge. He glided over the edge and felt his Wind Magic kick in as he was lost in awe for a few moments at the view. Then Ranma shook himself and took control of his flight. He did give a shout/shriek of pure joy though: "YES!"

Tygwaki laughed as he flew forward in front of Ranma. "Well done. Follow me!" the giant eagle commanded. Ranma did so and Jakaro flew at Ranma's side.

"Where are we going?" Ranma called out.

"Just follow, Ranma," Jakaro told him. "Let's get all the kinks worked out of your flight. Then you'll see!"

The three birds flew out over the valley, playing with the late morning wind currents and diving from spectacular heights. Finally, Tygwaki called back: "Jakaro! He's ready. Let's go to Nerima!" Jakaro nodded and a Gate appeared floating in the sky about a quarter of a kilometer ahead.

"What's in Nerima?" Ranma asked.

"What isn't in Nerima…" Jakaro laughed. "Come see!" With that, Jakaro led the way into the Gate.

There was little transition for Ranma as he crossed the Gate. There was no 'pop' or disorientation. One instant he was over the Glowsdown valley, the next he was in the skies above Nerima about two kilometers above the ground. "Incredible…" Ranma said in a low voice.

"Ranma, lead the way!" Tygwaki commanded. "Let's see whose about!"

Ranma dropped down and flew over the central marketplace where he saw Uyko and Konatsu hurrying back to Ucchan's. To avoid startling them, he resisted the urge to call out to them. Besides, he was pretty high up for his voice to carry without using his magic and he feared breaking the spell – and he wasn't ready to let it go just yet. He and his companions shadowed the pair to the restaurant and then they broke away to fly over the Cat Café. Cologne was out in her back garden. As the birds' shadows crossed her garden, she looked up at the rare sight. The three birds flew on.

Ranma and company hovered longer over the Tendo dojo. Ranma noted that Othan's men were back on duty. Kasumi was in the backyard hanging up the washing. Mousse was practicing a kata nearby in the warm weather. Ranma was amazed at how sharp his eyes were, easily identifying which kata the Chinese gentleman was performing. He commented on this to Tygwaki.

"Of course, we are hunters after all. Everything in the sky and on the Earth is in our purview," the great eagle told him. "Come! We have more to see!" Back downtown!" Ranma led the way again. They passed over the houses and business, over parks and schools, and over canals and lakes. Over the past three years, Ranma had explored all of Nerima and he showed his teachers everything. Ranma's eyes identified many friends and acquaintances during their travels. He was amazed how many people in Nerima he actually knew. He was also amazed how much life there was in the ward – not just the people, but all the animals and plants as well. "It's beautiful!" he called out to Jakaro and Tygwaki.

"Almost there!" Jakaro proclaimed.

"What's almost there?" Ranma shouted back.

"You!" Tygwaki answered. "Come, we have one more thing to show you. Go higher!"

"How high?"

"Until you can see the whole Ward at once."

Ranma shrugged and did as he was told, leading them higher until all of Nerima spread out before them. "What do you see?" Tygwaki asked.

"I see everything!" Ranma exclaimed.

"Not yet!" Tygwaki called back. "But you will!" Before Ranma could ask anything, Tygwaki began to sing:

 _"Oh the wind can carry  
_ _The voices of all that be  
_ _Oh the wind can carry  
_ _All the echoes home to me_ _  
_

 _Run with wind and weather  
_ _So much I want to see  
_ _All four winds together  
_ _Can bring the world to me  
_ _Chase the wind around the world  
_ _I want to look at life unfurled." (1)_

A wind swirled around Ranma and suddenly Ranma saw threads of wispy light springing from all the people below. Each thread connected two people together with everyone sourcing multiple threads. Soon, a web of Light encompassing everyone spanned the city. But the web wasn't complete yet and the wind swirling around Ranma intensified. Now, new lines began to connect trees and animals. Then the new lines connected to people as well and the web thickened. Finally, the web thickened again as Nerima's hidden elementals and sprites joined the framework. Ranma's mouth dropped open as he saw his own strands connecting him to the web despite the whirlwind surrounding him. "The Nexus!" he cried.

Suddenly, Ranma's mind flashed here and there across the Nexus without any effort. He saw the shoppers in a grocery store; squirrels scampering high among the branches; Soun at work in his office; a mother singing to her child; Tofu talking to a patient; Hiroshi in class at college; Officer Ueda talking to Mr. Sakai; Saitou's Café opening their doors; children sitting in a math class; cats hunting rats in back alleys; his Mom walking with Toshio Kuno; the local newspaper office working on the afternoon edition; on and on and on. Image after image poured into Ranma's mind and the wind continue to whirl about Ranma's form. "I can see it all!" Ranma called out. "I can Feel it all! I am the Nexus!"

Tygwaki and Jakaro said nothing. They just watched their student carefully.

Ranma's mind continued to flash across the Nexus, watching all of Nerima go about their late morning business. Finally, Ranma watched a mother and her little girl study something high in the sky. With a start, Ranma recognized the three golden eagles high in the sky that the pair was looking at. With a shudder, Ranma's mind returned to his body, still caught in its little whirlwind. "Enough!" Ranma cried out. The whirlwind started to abate. "I've seen enough." The winds died away all together.

"Are you all right?" Jakaro asked him.

"Yes, I'm fine," Ranma answered back.

"Then let's head back to Glowsdown," Jakaro said.

The three eagles flew toward Mount Terror and dropped down into the surrounding forest. Once on the ground, Jakaro conjured a Gate and they hopped through. On the other side, Ranma found himself back on the ledge he and the others had flown from. Ranma walked to the edge and looked out over the valley of Glowsdown. "Are you all right?" Jakaro asked again.

Ranma shimmered for a moment and then appeared in his male form once more. "I'm fine," the young man repeated. "Could you leave me alone for a little while? Just a bit… I have some thinking to do…" he trailed off.

Jakaro shimmered back into his Kitsune form and nodded. Tygwaki smiled gently and shifted to a human form. "We'll see you at lunch," the Sky King told him as he turned with Jakaro.

Ranma nodded. Then he turned and said: "Tygwaki?" The Eagle King looked back. "Thanks," Ranma finished. Tygwaki smiled again and nodded. Then he and Jakaro walked down the mountainside.

Ranma sat down on the edge of the ledge and looked out over the valley. After some time, he raised his right hand and made a quick gesture. His bo staff appeared in his hand. It was a very solid ironwood staff, banded at both edges with what looked like old bronze. He and Ryoga had made two of these under Hideo's direction. Mousse wielded the twin. This staff began to vibrate and glow as Ranma held it. "I get it now," Ranma murmured quietly. "I know what I have to do…"

From inside him, Rera answered: _"No…you know what *we* have to do. And, together Ranma, we can do it."_

* * *

A/N: (1) Tygwaki's spell is based on a verse from the song "Available Light" by the group Rush (one of my favorite groups), copyright 1989. The songwriters are Neil Peart, Geddy Lee Weinrib, and Alex Lifeson. I changed some of the lyrics to suit my purpose, but credit where credit is due.

* * *

Next up: The Monster and the Demon


	8. The Monster and the Demon

Chapter 8: The Monster and the Demon

-Saturday, June 14, 2003, 10:10AM-

Akane sat on the roof of the Nerima Times building looking down into the market place and brooded. Occasionally, she absentmindedly cupped her hands and drew water from the air, practicing the lessons Shiran had taught her. When she had a handful of water, she would toss it into the air, her weird water abilities turning it into a column of cloud vapor.

"That's hardly the way to stay inconspicuous," a voice mocked from behind.

Akane turned to see a tall muscular Chinese man, about twenty-two years old standing there. "Taro!" Akane exclaimed. "I thought you were still in China!"

"So the Doc told you," he noted.

"Tofu's been letting us know who's what and where," she agreed. "Saves wasting time fighting."

"Ah, you and FemBoy always assume friendly first anyway," he dismissed. "Not your brightest move, but there you are."

"Thanks," Akane said dryly. "Good to see you too."

Taro gave a tight grin and asked: "Mind if I sit down?"

Akane shrugged and gestured next to her. "What brings you back to Nerima?" she asked. "I thought you were guarding Jusendo."

"Jusendo's empty right now," Taro replied as he sat down. "We finished our task and everyone fled before Henna could attack. I've been stationed here now."

"Why? And what were you doing in Jusendo?" Akane asked curiously.

"Same thing I'm doing here," he answered evasively. "I'm guarding things."

"Like?"

"Like Nerima," he stated.

"And you just stumbled across me?" she pressed.

"More or less. I can tell where Jusenkyo people are within 50 meters, whether or not they are Shielding," he shrugged.

"You can? Since when?"

"Recently," Taro replied. "It's part of who I am now."

"Whoa. But I'm not a shape-shifter…" Akane started and then trailed off.

"Sorry, Akane, but Jusenkyo has a piece of your soul. Just be happy it safe-guards it," Taro told her. Akane let out a sigh. "Don't sweat it," he continued. "You're still you. Trust me on this one."

"Never thought I'd hear you say that," she returned with a raised eyebrow.

Taro shrugged again. "We all change. Tofu, Olaf, and the others were rather persistent. Eventually they got their point across."

"Hmmm," she agreed.

"What were you thinking about so hard?" he asked changing the subject. "Shampoo?"

"How'd you know that?" she said with some surprise.

"I am on the team," he replied. "Tofu told me to look out for Purple-Hair. When I find her, I'm suppose to knock her out and bring her to him."

"Then he's going to wipe her memory and send her to Glowsdown," Akane said in a low voice.

"You don't approve?" Taro pressed.

"Erasing someone's mind? No, I don't approve," she replied.

"Beats damnation," Taro commented.

Akane shook her head. "I don't think it will work," she stated. "I had my memory wiped. It came back. When she remembers, the spell will start again."

"Tofu and Jakaro are pretty strong mages," he remarked.

"But who we are is never really lost – sooner or later she's going to reassert herself," Akane insisted.

"Well, maybe she'll forgive herself by then. That will also nix the spell," he said.

Akane snorted. "Not going to happen. She feels she needs punished. That's why she came to me instead of Tofu." She blew out a frustrated sigh.

"Hmmm…" Taro said. Then he got up. "You know, Tofu has a manuscript about the Amazons," he mentioned. "You may want to read it."

"Why?"

"It might give you some insights," he suggested. "Besides, it always helps to know your enemy." He took out a thermos of water. "I need to get back to work. See you later, Akane." With that, he dumped the water on himself and leaped off the building. Akane watched the monster wrap himself in the shadows of the day and vanish.

* * *

-Saturday, June 14, 2003, 12:20PM-

Ranma felt the water falling towards him but he made no effort to avoid it. He did avoid the fist following it. "You mastered the shape-shift," Taro commented as he threw a kick at the red-haired young woman.

"I've mastered a lot of things since we last fought," Ranma shot back as she blocked the kick.

"Including your girlfriend," Taro grinned.

"What? Akane? If you've…" Ranma started.

"Relax, FemBoy," Taro said as he launched a combo. "We're on the same team." Ranma dodged easily. Taro looked annoyed and doubled his efforts to tag Ranma.

"So why are you here?" Ranma asked in a more even tone as she upp'ed her own speed.

"Wanted to see if you're as good as everyone says you are," Taro answered easily. With that, he blurred as he attacked Ranma. Ranma smirked evilly and continued to dodge the attacks. "Stop all the jumping around and fight me!" Taro demanded.

"If you say so…" Ranma stated as her fist lashed out.

Taro managed to block the strike with a grunt. "You're stronger too. That almost hurt." The fight commenced immediately after that. Blows flickered faster than lightning and the sound of flesh impacting flesh became continuous.

Finally, Taro stepped back and poured cold water on himself. The bull form lunged at Ranma as she shouted "Nova Burst!" Taro stumbled forwarded blinded as Ranma stepped out of the way. A foot applied to Taro's rump sent the minotaur sprawling on the ground. Ranma quickly poured hot water on Taro and them himself. Then he waited as Taro got back on his feet again.

"Heh," Taro laughed quietly. "Not bad. Not bad at all." He stretched then. "I haven't had a decent fight since Olaf left me at Jusendo."

"Are you done?" Ranma prompted.

"For now, Ranma," Taro stated.

Ranma blinked at hearing his proper name and not 'FemBoy'. "Man, you have changed," he stated with a bit of disbelief.

Taro shrugged. "You're not one to talk," he said. Now Ranma shrugged in return. "C'mon, let's get a bite to eat. We need to talk…" Taro added.

* * *

-Saturday, June 14, 2003, 2:15PM-

Akane was waiting for Tofu as the doctor entered his office. "Akane!" Tofu burst out. "I never sensed you about!"

"That's the point of all this, isn't it?" she returned while lounging in his chair.

Tofu chuckled and motioned her out of his chair. She obliged him. "What brings you away from your training?" he asked.

She swung around to the front of his desk. "I need the book," she answered.

"Which one?"

"The one Nabiki found. Professor Meng's manuscript. I need Daran's version though."

Tofu looked nonplussed. "But how do you know about…" he started and then stopped. With a sigh he said: "Nabiki."

"Nabiki's version is in Chinese – she uses it to practice," Akane went on. "I need the translation."

"Who told you about that?"

"Ciren. Look, people trust me and tell me things, all right? And I think I was suppose to find out about it anyway," she told him.

Tofu opened his mouth to ask another question, but Akane cut him off: "There haven't been any accidents the entire time since this started. I need that book."

Tofu made a sour face and sighed. "Will you settle for a copy?" At her nod, he got up again and walked over to his book case. He pushed aside some books to reveal a safe. A minute later, he had the safe opened and removed a set of documents. "Come on, we'll use the office copier. It will give Chie a chance to make a fuss over you."

* * *

-Sunday, June 15, 2003, 6:00PM-

Akane sat in the safe house with the document spread out in front of her. Ranma was also with her studying a copy of Daran's notes. "Man, Daran's handwriting is amazing," Ranma mused. "The writing's dry as a bone though."

"Shut up and read. It's not supposed to be a bedtime story," Akane told him. "Be happy we only care about the Amazons."

"Are we looking for anything in particular?" he asked.

"I don't know. Taro was hinting at something though; I'm sure of it," Akane said determinedly.

"Why didn't he come out and say it then?"

"Because he doesn't want to cross Tofu. Somewhere along the line he learned respect," she told him.

"Talk about a changed guy," Ranma mused again. "Still he might be playing his own game here."

"Yeah, but by giving us extra info? I don't think so. Either way, he's right. Any extra information on how Shampoo and Henna think is gold," she said.

"Fair enough," Ranma shrugged.

The two sat in silence for about 45 minutes when Ranma noticed his name in the margin of one of the papers circled. Curious, he picked up that sheet and read the page. It was on Amazon marriage customs. He stifled an internal groan, but read that part of the document anyway. When he was done, he thought: "When an Amazon warrior sets her sights on a poor sucker, it really is 'until death do us part.' Good thing that doesn't apply to me anymore…" His thought trailed off as a memory came back to him. Suddenly, he began searching through the stacks of papers rapidly.

"What's up?" Akane asked him.

"It's something Ciren told me last summer," Ranma answered. "Something called the Defiant. I can't remember all the details though."

"Is it important?"

"I think so," he replied.

They skimmed through pages looking for the word. "Too bad this thing doesn't have an index," Akane half joked.

Ranma snorted. "Maybe next edition. Look for battle customs – it has something to do with that."

"It's not in the stuff I read, so it's got to be forward," Akane stated. She handed him a set of papers, "Here, here's half." Ranma took it without a word and dove into it. Akane was a little startled with the seriousness Ranma approached the task.

"Here!" Ranma exclaimed. Then he read: "Amazons pride themselves on never retreating from battles, fearing not even sure Death in battle. For Death is the true enemy of all Amazons, one that they know they can never beat. What are other enemies compared to that? So strong is the belief in the finality of Death that the Amazons view that those who cheat Death must have been re-born rather than revived. As such, those that appear to die, especially in battle, are viewed as new people. All debts are gone, all commitments ended, all punishments are over. Even spouses must be woo'ed and wed again. These re-born individuals are known as the Defiant – those that beat Death, albeit temporarily."

"Whoa…" Akane said in a low voice. "But you… I mean… Does that apply to non-Amazons?" Ranma nodded, so Akane continued: "But why did Shampoo keep chasing you then? I mean, she was at Jusendo."

"That's why Cologne let me off the hook," Ranma answered. "But Shampoo decided she was still going to try – even if she had to start from scratch. I never let her give me the Kiss of Marriage again though."

"Hmph… Good thing," Akane snipped half turning away from Ranma. He rolled his eyes and poked her in the ribs. Akane smiled briefly and dropped the act. Then her face turned serious. "So, where does that leave us?"

"Easy," Ranma replied. "The whole problem with wiping Shampoo's memory is that it will come back eventually, and so will the guilt. But if Shampoo believes she died, then she believes her guilt is gone; the Anathema spell has no power and she's free."

"Wait," Akane said in a strained voice. "You want me to actually kill her…"

"Hold on, hear me out. We only have to get Shampoo to think she died…" he started firmly.

* * *

-Monday, June 16, 2003, 6:45PM-

The next day, Akane sat on top of a rooftop looking at the sunset while brooding. She was suppose to meet Shampoo tomorrow and give her an answer, but, honestly, she didn't know what to do. All the plans seem so desperate. If she followed Tofu's plan, Shampoo would be banished from this world until her memory returned and then she would die. If she followed Ranma's plan, there was the distinct possibility that Shampoo would die at Akane's hand. Try though she might, Shizuka's words kept coming back to her: Was Shampoo really worth all this?

Akane blew out a sigh angrily. She asked for none of this. It was bad enough that she had to face Henna on the Solstice. Now she had to stop Shampoo from damning herself? She resisted the urge to scream and rage. "Why me?" she moaned to herself.

She'd love to blame Ranma, but she was way past that in her life. "My life was crazy before he got here," she reminded herself. "I had idiot suitors and the weird water power was with me even then. In some ways – all right, in many ways – life has gotten easier with Ranma, not harder." She blew out a sigh.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of glass two stories below her and a roaring sound of what could only be fire. She looked over the edge of the building and saw flames leap out a large broken window. "No!" she thought. Akane sent her thought into the apartment. "There's a young girl there!" she realized. "And there's something els…"

Akane doubled over and retched. "NO!" she thought wrenching her mind away. She immediately ran toward the stairwell and raced down the two flights of stairs. On the way, she pulled out her radio and pressed the distress button, which silently sent out its call. Akane turned on the second landing down and the interior stairwell door shot open. A high pitched scream rang out from one apartment. Doors flew open behind Akane as she ran down the hallway toward the apartment. Without a pause, she bashed the door down with her shoulder and raced in.

There were small fires all over the apartment but nothing big yet. The cause was standing in the middle of the room – a fire-wrapped apparition of rape and murder: a true demon. And it was focused on an eleven year old girl cowering in the corner about five meters from it. The hellspawn glanced at Akane and its eyes lit up with a dreadful hunger. The thing turned to face her and Akane fought down a wave of nausea and revulsion. It looked like a large hairless orangutan with a very broad chest standing two meters tall covered in fiery slime. However, its most prominent feature sprang from its genital region and was large enough to cause fear and revulsion in any mortal. Claws sprang from the demon's fingertips and it grinned leeringly at Akane.

A second explosion ripped out of the apartment as Akane shouted: "I DON'T THINK SO!" The demon was catapulted out the window and smashed into the wall across the street, and then it fell eight stories to cave in the roof of a car.

Akane ran to the smashed window only to have the young girl run up to her. "NO! Don't chase it!" the girl screamed.

Akane shook herself and seemed to take stock of the situation. She used her Power to extinguish the numerous small fires. Neighbors ran into the apartment and gasped at the damage. "Here!" Akane ordered. "Take her out of here. It's coming back." Many of the neighbors turned and fled, but one brave soul grabbed the girl before running.

The Martial Artist Mage turned to face the thing again. It was still on the street pulling itself together and out of the car wreck. The demon rose up and looked back at the apartment. The monster grinned hugely at Akane. "Come, my sweet!" it called in a high mocking voice. "You're only putting off the inevitable. We are destined for one another. I will show you the throes of my passion for all eternity!"

"Oh crap," she thought. "It's not really hurt." She backed away out of sight and pulled out some chalk. She quickly sketched out a simple glyph and covered it with a ripped curtain. Just as she finished the hurried task, the thing leapt into the room. She jumped back as it lunged for her and it stepped on the covered rune. Immediately, the rapist demon lit up with a shocking golden light and it screamed in agony. Akane ran back down the hallway to the door and out. She slammed open the stairwell and leaped down whole flights at a time.

Up above, the demon bellowed and then shouted: "Oh, how we will celebrate our ardor!" Akane closed the stairwell door as she heard thumps of it jumping down the stairs. With another four slashes of chalk, Akane sketched another glyph on the door. Then she ran outside the apartment building. As she reached the street, she heard another yell of agony from the monster.

A jeep tore around the corner and stopped. "Yo Tendo!" the mercenary Artel shouted from the driver seat. Akane ran toward the jeep.

Another mercenary – Wales – jumped out the passenger door. "What do we got?!" he shouted in turn.

"Lust demon! Give me something big," she shouted as she closed in on the vehicle.

Wales unstrapped a large tube from the roof as the demon burst out onto the street. Artel opened fire with an automatic rifle. The monster bellowed as the bullets stung it, driving it back. "Move it!" Artel barked.

"You're privilege, little lady," Wales called out as he tossed the bazooka to Akane.

She snatched it out of the air and slammed the weapon into an armed position. She brought it up and aimed at the demon. Its eyes sought out hers and there was a moment of recognition in its eyes as it took stock of the weapon she was carrying. "Screw this, hellspawn," she said as she pulled the trigger. The shell smacked into the beast and seemed to turn to liquid. The liquid flowed over the monster engulfing it completely. Then the demon exploded into a cloud of smoke which quickly dispersed. "Whoa…what the hell was in that?" Akane asked Wales.

"Holy water – the old Blessing," Wales stated. "Doesn't do a thing to zombies, but dissolves low level demons like that one."

"That was low level?" Akane asked.

"Afraid so, ma'am. The one your boyfriend killed last week was a little higher on the food chain. He had to cut off its head before it would leave," Artel added.

"Was it…" Akane started to asked and then stopped.

"So well-endowed?" Wales finished. "Lust demons are the easiest to summon and have a certain fear factor to them – for both sexes." Akane shuddered. "Yeah, they're vile all the way around," Wales agreed.

Artel pulled out a radio. "Team Four, we need a clean-up at Grandview and Blossom…"

* * *

-Monday, June 16, 2003, 8:45PM-

"We need a change in strategy," Tofu Ono told Toshio Kuno. "That thing got too close to Akane."

"I'm listening," Kuno said. "But I'm not sure this one wasn't luck. I don't think that it knew where Akane was."

"It missed by only two floors," Tofu countered.

"I think it was trying to draw her out," Kuno stated.

Ono shook his head. "But if that was the case, there should have been a second strike force to kill her. There wasn't – there was just the one demon."

"Maybe," Kuno hedged. "But what do you want to do from here? We have five days to go."

"Let's move Akane and Ranma back to Glowsdown for a couple of days," Tofu suggested.

Kuno shook his head. "And if the Storm breaks early and the Gates shut down? Then we are without the Defender and the Champion. They live, we die. They need to stay in this world."

"All right, I can see that. What about we just get them out of Nerima and into another Ward? Suginami?"

Kuno considered that. "How about Nakano instead?" he returned.

Ono shrugged his shoulders. "Sure. Why?"

"Couple of reasons: it's better connected to Nerima so we can get them back here quicker if necessary," Kuno answered.

"And?"

"And I have no properties in Nakano. We rent a non-descript business office, and hide Akane there for a couple of days," Kuno finished.

"And Ranma." Tofu added.

"But why don't we have Ranma stay here and continue on as decoy? Have Henna keep following him?" Toshio pressed.

"Because Henna's not biting anymore on that gambit and Ranma is the best one to protect Akane if it's just the two of them," Tofu answered. Kuno opened his mouth and then stopped. Instead he looked thoughtful. "Face it," Tofu went on. "A young couple is going to attract a lot less notice than a strike team. Rather than having four or five people guard Akane, let's just use Ranma."

Kuno sighed. "I suppose you're right. Henna doesn't have time to flood the area with agents. It will take her two days just to realize Akane has vanished. By then, it's all up in the air anyway."

* * *

A/N: Next up - Tea for Two


	9. Tea for Two

Chapter 9: Tea for Two

-Tuesday, June 17, 2003, 8:15AM-

Ranma and Akane looked around the vacant office building floor. "Do you think this is really necessary?" Akane asked him.

Ranma shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know," he said. "It's not going to work anyway."

"How do you figure?"

"Too many people know where we are. Too many can find us," he said.

"Like who?"

"Taro and Ryoga," Ranma stated.

"They're on our side," Akane reminded him.

Ranma gave another shrug. "If the good guys can find us, so can the bad guys."

"So, do you think we should move on?" she asked.

"Not yet. We wait until Shampoo shows up. You talk to her and then we move on."

* * *

-Tuesday, June 17, 2003, 2:30PM-

Shampoo walked through the streets of the Nakano Ward, following her established link with Akane. She wasn't sure why her Sister had switched Wards, but she was sure Akane was expecting her. The link Shampoo had created with Akane wasn't completely one-sided. Just like Akane couldn't hide from Shampoo, Shampoo couldn't surprise Akane either, which suited Shampoo.

Amazon warriors always knew where the others were – that was the bond of being Sisters. Or at least, Shampoo could before she was thrown out of the tribe. Now, the only person she could find was Akane – her last acknowledged Sister. Shampoo had no idea why Akane hadn't rejected her, but she'd take what she could get. Akane was also Shampoo's Shishen covenant holder, and the only one Shampoo trusted with it. Hopefully Akane would carry through.

She stopped outside one particular three-story building and noted the "For Rent" sign on the outside. "She's here," Shampoo thought to herself. She tested the front doors and found them locked. "There's a way in. I'm sure of it. She's not afraid of me." The Amazon walked around the building until she found a small bathroom window open. Carefully, she squeezed through it. Inside, the bathroom was unlit, although there was more than enough light from the frosted windows to make out Ranma standing in the middle of the room with a raised eyebrow. As Shampoo looked at him, he raised a finger to his lips and gestured her away from the window. As Shampoo obeyed, he walked around her to close and lock the window.

Once that was done, Ranma motioned for Shampoo to follow him. The two moved silently out of the bathroom, down a hallway, and then up two flights of stair. The door to the stairs had swung without a squeak. At the top of the stair, Ranma opened the door for Shampoo and the Amazon walked into a large room. Off to one side was a two-man tent set up with bedrolls. An unlit propane stove was in front of it, although the steaming kettle on it indicated that it had been lit. Akane was sitting at a low table in the center of the room. The table was set with a Japanese tea ceremony for two people (Shampoo had been in Japan long enough to recognize the setup). "Welcome to our humble abode," Akane said in a quiet, bantering tone.

Shampoo was somewhat confused to say the least. "What are Sister and Ranma doing here?" she asked.

Ranma shrugged. "It's where we need to be. Tomorrow's another story. Besides, it's a quiet place to meet with you."

"Without anyone else getting in the way," Akane added.

"Shampoo knew she could count on you," the Amazon stated with satisfaction.

"You want to explain that?" Akane asked bluntly.

"Huh?"

"Shampoo," Akane started wearily. "We've been rivals for a long time. How do you know you can trust me?"

"Oh, that's easy," Shampoo shrugged. "Shampoo call Akane 'Sister' – and it true. Akane not reject Shampoo." Akane seemed to struggle with that, so Shampoo continued: "Amazons absorb strength they cannot beat. If Shampoo still part of Amazons, Shampoo would have presented Akane to Amazons - make Akane everyone's sister.

"So, because you couldn't beat me, you made me your Sister and you can track me now," Akane stated. Shampoo nodded her head.

"Good thing she didn't present you to the Amazons, otherwise Henna could find you," Ranma commented.

Akane blew out a breath at that. "Good thing," she echoed.

Shampoo nodded her head. "Akane help Shampoo?" she asked.

Akane took a deep breath and blew it out again. "I wasn't going to, but yesterday, I actually met a demon that Henna sent. No one deserves that, Shampoo. I won't let them have you," she stated.

"Thank you, Sister," Shampoo said with relief.

"In Japan, we have the concept of a Second," Akane went on. "When a warrior receives a lethal strike that doesn't kill him or her immediately, their Second slices off their head to end the pain. I'm treating this like that."

"But Shampoo must die fighting," Shampoo protested.

"I understand. But if I'm going to be your Second, we're going to do this right. You and I are going to have a Tea Ceremony," Akane stated firmly.

"Shampoo knows what that is, but don't know how to do it," Shampoo replied with a shrug.

"That's O.K.," Ranma told her. "I'll be here to walk you through it."

Shampoo nodded her head, so Akane said: "Right, let's do this. Shampoo have a seat." Akane pointed to one side of the table. Shampoo did so, and Ranma handed her a bowl of water and a hand towel to wash her hands.

Once Shampoo washed, Akane started the Tea Ceremony by presenting the tea bowl, whisk, and tea scoop to the table and then cleaned them using the appropriate gestures and rituals. Her movements were deft and graceful, and the gestures were not lost on Shampoo. Once the implements were cleaned, Akane added three scoops of green tea to the bowl, and accepted the hot kettle from Ranma. She poured a small amount of hot water into the bowl and whisked the water and tea together to make a thin paste. Then Akane added more hot water to the bowl to make the thick tea. When the tea was prepared, Akane presented the bowl to Shampoo.

Ranma spoke up in quiet tones: "It's customary for the Guest to drink first. Take the bowl, hold it up to admire it, and then drink half. Wipe the bowl rim then and pass it back to Akane, so she can drink." Shampoo did so (showing a bit of grace herself) and Akane accepted the bowl back. Akane then drained the bowl and started the elaborate process of cleaning the bowl and the utensils. At Ranma's prompting, Shampoo inspected and approved of the cleaning. Then Shampoo and Akane bowed to each other, closing the ceremony.

Once it was done, Shampoo asked: "Is the tea always so sweet? It sort of surprised Shampoo."

Akane shrugged and answered: "Depends on the tea you use. Have you eaten?"

"Shampoo's fine. Better go now," Shampoo said. "Where do we meet?" she asked Akane.

"By the High School field near the pool at 5PM on Thursday. It will be after everyone has left, and no one uses that field for sports, so we'll have it to ourselves," Akane answered.

"All right, Shampoo see you then." With a nod to both of them, Shampoo got up and walked to the stairwell, then she went down and let herself out of the building (after Cloaking). Once outside, she sighed and walked down the street.

Back upstairs, Ranma looked at Akane. "She said it tasted sweet," he stated.

"And I used the bitterest tea I could find," Akane said with a growing smile.

"It's going to work," Ranma added with a smirk. "Now we need to get out of here!"

Akane looked at him and then she understood. "Oh, Henna has her hooks in Shampoo. She's going to know Shampoo stopped her."

"Yep, besides, I think some time away from everyone is in order."

Akane looked at the camping tent. "Mount Terror?" she asked.

"Bingo! Let's pack and go."

* * *

The assassin carefully let himself into the room, only to find it empty except for a tiny table with a small very rude note. He looked at the dust on the floor and sighed. He really didn't want to make this phone call…

* * *

-Tuesday, June 17, 2003, 4:05PM-

Happosai stepped out of the Gate and immediately Cloaked himself, even before closing the Gate. He was in Tororu Kuni – literally Troll Country and he had no intention of run-ins with the common inhabitants. "Why Osoroshidesu chose to set up shop here is a mystery to me," Happosai sighed in annoyance as he spotted two trolls with jutting jaws running toward the Gate. He closed the Gate and stepped off the path. Then he let the brutes run by him. The huge distorted creatures snuffed the air as they ran, chasing the afterimage of the Gate. Fortunately, Happosai was using a potion that hid his scent. Once they were gone, Happosai walked back the way they came. "Unfortunately, there isn't a goldsmith anywhere else capable of this commission," the little man grumbled. "And he knows it, too."

Happosai walked a kilometer through a dark woods and turned right off the trail by a stone marker. The marker proclaimed Osoroshidesu name and occupation: Master Smith. The side trail was poorly marked, but Happosai had been here before and learned the way. Actually, Lord Jakaro had taken him here and introduced him to Osoroshidesu.

Happosai thought about the Kitsune Lord briefly and winced. He was going to miss that friendship – that was a lot of potential gone. Unfortunately, Kitsunes were very proper creatures when push came to shove. Even more than the attack on Akari, Jakaro would never forgive the breach in protocol Happopsai committed in making the attack – and that was saying something: the Kitsune had adopted the Nerima crowd and was fond of them. The attack all by itself would raise Jakaro's ire, but the fact that it happened on Kitsune land really upset the Kitsune Lord. "Of course, if he found out that I summoned that demon yesterday, he go through the roof and set a price on my head," Happosai mused. "Still it was necessary – at least Akane is moving in the right direction now."

After another kilometer, the trail ended at a large two story stone house. Happosai nodded to himself and walked around the side to a second large building – Osoroshidesu's smithy. Happosai banged on the door of the forge and waited. The door opened and a man as large as Olaf stood there. The giant's most notable feature – besides his glowing yellow eyes – was a black shaggy beard and full mane of hair. "Happosai?" the man said surprised. "You came back?"

"Hello, Osoroshidesu. Yes, I'm back. Are you ready to accept my challenge?" Happosai pressed.

The big man's yellow eyes narrowed. "Do you have my payment?" Osoroshidesu shot back.

"Yes," Happosai said with a shrug. "Nothing for nothing."

Osoroshidesu face took on a calculating look. "Well, well, well," he said. "Come in. We have some business to discuss."

Happosai walked in the door past Osoroshidesu. "Actually, there's not much to discuss. I have everything including your payment," he stated.

"Of there is," Osoroshidesu laughed. "There's a story to be had! Come have some tea."

"Put on the kettle then, but time is short. I need the Sickle," Happosai said wearily.

"Oh, and I'll just snap my fingers!" Osoroshidesu chuckled. "We have time. So, the Fox King did not lie."

Happosai nodded his head. "Jakaro told you the truth. You're still sworn to secrecy," he reminded the giant.

"Oh, no worries. Who'd believe me?" Osoroshidesu laughed again. He put a kettle on a large stove and turned to a shelf to get the tea. "Well, man! Come on! You can start by showing me. I want to see the Four!"

Happosai reached into his gi and pulled out three small chests, each about two decimeters long and a decimeter wide. Then he pulled out a bottle. He uncorked the bottle and made a small shot glass appear. He then poured a little liquid into the glass and gestured at Osoroshidesu. The yellow-eyed man obliged Happosai by taking the glass and chucking the clear liquid into his large mouth. Osoroshidesu's eyes widened as Happosai said: "Pure Water of Jusendo." Happosai opened the first chest. It was filled with yellow metal. "Gold from the Heart of the World," he stated. He closed that chest and opened the second chest. A blazing light filled the room. "Flame from the Fire of Creation," Happosai added. He closed that chest and the light vanished. Then he opened the third chest which contained a small whirlwind spinning within the confines of the opened box. "Whisper of the West Wind," Happosai intoned.

The shot glass fell out of Osoroshidesu's hand and smashed on the floor. The giant just stood there with his mouth hanging open. After a few minutes of this, Happosai snapped his fingers repeatedly until Osoroshidesu began to come around. The yellow-eyed man shook his head back and forth and then he seemed to come back to himself. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't just kill you and keep these treasures for myself," Osoroshidesu challenged ominously.

Happosai's mouth edged up into a small smile as his hand pulled out a clear flask of Water. "Because I have your payment here and I swear by all that's holy, if you betray me, I'll smash it on the ground if it's the last thing I do."

"I promise you, that would be the last thing you do," Osoroshidesu swore gravely.

"Well, do we have a deal?" Happosai asked.

Osoroshidesu considered that. "No, no we don't," he said finally. Now Happosai's eyes narrowed and he tensed himself. Osoroshidesu held up a forestalling hand. "The gold you may keep, but the others, the Flame and the Whisper, they will be mine if I make your Sickle."

"What about the Jusendo Water?" Happosai quizzed.

"That will get used up. There will be nothing left," Osoroshidesu stated. "And the Water of Life stays with me. I keep my payment. Those are my terms. Take it or leave it."

"Break those terms and you forfeit everything," Happosai pushed back. "The Four World Elementals themselves will avenge me!"

"Agreed," Osoroshidesu promised. He held out his hand.

Happosai held the Water of Life in his left hand and extended his right hand. The two shook hands. "Done!" Osoroshidesu exclaimed. Happosai relaxed as Osoroshidesu let go and spun back to making tea. "Now," Osoroshidesu proclaimed. "You have a story to tell me! Start talking..."

* * *

-Tuesday, June 17, 2003, 4:10PM-

Maomolin cut through the woods until he came upon the backside of the inn. A middle-age woman was attending to her garden and looked up as he stepped onto the manicured lawn. "Hello Maomolin," the woman greeted him. "Chiyoko's been expecting you."

Maomolin nodded. "Hello Mrs. ... Kyoko," he corrected at seeing the warning look on the mother's face. "I told her I'd be stopping by today."

Kyoko nodded her head in satisfaction. "She's set up in her room," Kyoko stated solemnly. At Maomolin's questioning glance, Chiyoko's mother added: "You're walking into a Tea Ceremony." Maomolin shrunk a little at that. "Best behavior, young man," Kyoko said.

Maomolin sighed and nodded. With that, Kyoko got up and walked over to Maomolin. She took his hand and said: "Maomolin, I don't pretend to know everything that's going on, but I do know Chiyoko loves you. Stop all this running around and stay with us."

Maomolin sighed again and replied: "I can't do that yet. I have one more job to do. When it's done, I can stop."

Kyoko looked gravely at him. "Don't betray her…and us."

"Never," Maomolin answered, relieved that he could reply cleanly.

Kyoko took his answer at face value and let him go. Maomolin walked up to the backdoor of the inn and let himself inside.

Upstairs, in her room, Maomolin found Chiyoko dressed in her best kimono, her hair done perfectly in a bun, and a light touch of makeup on. The accoutrements for the Tea Ceremony were laid out in front of her on a cloth on the floor. Maomolin took one look at her perfection and gulped. Silently, she gestured at him to close the door and be seated. Taking his cue from her, he didn't say a word – he just took his seat across from her. Together, they went through the Tea Ceremony wordlessly.

When they were done and the utensils cleaned and put away, Chiyoko removed the pins from her bun and let her hair fall down. She ran her fingers through her hair to smooth it out. Then she leaned across and gave Maomolin a lingering kiss. "Is there any way I can go with you?" she asked breaking the kiss.

Maomolin looked down at the cloth between them. "No man – or woman – can go where I go." He took her hand and looked up at her. "But I have to go. Many of the timelines I've seen have a fatal flaw; including this one. I'm the only unaccounted variable – if it can be fixed, it has to be by me. If we are to have a life together, I *have* to fix it."

"I know," she replied softly. "I'm not trying to stop you. Promise me you'll survive."

Maomolin hesitated and finally said: "I can't promise that. I'm journeying into the Heart of Darkness." Tears started in Chiyoko's eyes. Maomolin looked stricken and quietly added in a heartbroken tone: "All I can promise is that I'll do my best to come back to you."

Chiyoko sniffed a couple of times as tears ran down her cheeks and then nodded. She got up and walked to her door. Next, she locked it. She looked directly at Maomolin. "Then we are not going to waste the time we have left anymore…" she said firmly.

* * *

Later that night, Maomolin walked alone back to the Gate, still in his human form. It was time to take up the Final Watch. Up ahead, he heard a voice call out querulously: "It's about time, Cat."

Maomolin smiled a little and shot back: "Nice to see you too, Cronus."

"You called me here," Cronus reminded the shape-changed Cat.

"Have you had any luck getting a stable configuration?" Maomolin asked (somewhat hopefully).

Cronus shook his head solemnly. "No, I keep thinking we are missing something – or at least I hope we are. Otherwise, there isn't a stable configuration."

Maomolin sighed and nodded his head. Then he pulled a letter envelope out of a pocket. "You're missing info. This is for you – and you alone. Please don't even tell Jakaro if at all possible. Definitely don't tell my sons; not until this is all over."

"You withheld info?" Cronus asked shocked even as he reached for the envelope.

"I was hoping this wouldn't come to pass," Maomolin admitted. "But all the signs are there."

Cronus took the letter and opened it. As he read it, Maomolin started to walk away. The Cat had just started to activate the Gate when Cronus burst out in a strangled tone: "You can't be serious! We can't survive this!"

Maomolin turned around and stated: "No, you can't. That's why it must not be…."

"But, how do we stop it?"

"You don't…I do. No one can follow me. If they do, we lose. Guaranteed. I've seen the timelines and know the faults. I'm the best one to stop it," Maomolin said as he turned back and finished triggering the Gate.

"But you're not a warrior!" Cronus protested.

"No, but I've been trained by some of the finest Martial Artists there are. They can't do this though. I can."

"But…"

"Goodbye, my friend. May we meet in happier times." With that, Maomolin stepped into the Gate.

"Maomolin!" Cronus cried running forward. But the Gate shimmered and deactivated. Cronus stopped before he slammed into the Closed Gate. There was no way to tell where Maomolin had gone – the Cat's magic was his own. Cronus shook himself and pulled himself together. Then he re-read Maomolin's letter. A determined look crossed his face as he slapped the letter with his free hand and he thought: "This isn't a done deal. I still have the Machine. With this info, I can figure a way out of this – or at least figure how to send Maomolin some help!"

* * *

A/N: Next up - Henna Strikes.


	10. Henna Strikes

Chapter 10: Henna Strikes

-Tuesday, June 17, 2003, 5:15PM-

Henna looked at the dispatches and made a point of *not* killing the messenger. It was getting harder and harder to recruit people as the mercenary circles were starting to blacklist Henna – she had lost a lot of men and women over the past year. She was only attracting the young and desperate. Unfortunately, they also tended to be stupid. "Let me get this straight," Henna started. The nervous young man nodded his head. "The plane never landed." Another nod. "It flew all the way from Shanghai to the Japanese coast and turned around to Jeju."

"Yes, Mistress," the mercenary agreed.

"And there were no reports of parachutes or anything like that in the plane's flight path?" she prompted.

"No, Mistress."

"And at Jeju, the South Koreans seized the jet and took everyone into custody," Henna stated. The merc nodded. "What about the contents of the craft?" she asked.

"Also seized, Mistress. But there was no sign of Queen Mizu anywhere. We checked. There were only five people on board, too. The plane was capable of holding thirty people. Somehow, they must have sky-jumped at night. They must be in Kagoshima, so we have Mages watching the ferries and the highways into Shimonoseki," he said to her.

"Leave me now," Henna told him.

"But…"

Henna snatched him by the front of the shirt and dragged him to her so she could stare him in the face. "Get. Out. Now."

"YES, MISTRESS!"

Henna released him and he ran away. She sat on her throne for some time in silence. Finally she got up and started to walk toward her workshop. "So, the Sprite is on her way to Nerima," Henna began. "The last sacrifice awaits. Somehow, she'll die in the presence of Mizu and banish Mizu. Then Akari will somehow return from the dead like Ranma and Akane. The Storm will end and the Balance will be restored. All nice and neat and everyone gets their Happy Ending." Her voice dropped to a low gravel tone. "Everyone but me…"

She marched down the stairs. "But the Council wants me to go to Nerima, don't you? Then I leave my house undefended and you destroy that. Drive the Amazons out or have them renounce me. End the Covenant between Water and the Amazons and I fail as well? A nice two pronged attack."

She paused in front of her work bench and said: "Think you have it all figured out do you? Think the timing's perfect? Think the victory's assured? Think again. I've figured it out. I know who the Council really is now. The fact that there were six of you instead of seven threw me, but your alliance always was uneasy."

"It's admirable though. You suckered the underlings in the Council. All those alliances you made – all so you could eventually betray them probably. Even when it started to go wrong and some of them rebelled, your plan against me still went on," she muttered.

Her voice firmed though. "But I'm not done. This isn't over. I have your Names on the Soul Contract. I can figure out which of the Seven you are. You're in my world – where you're not supposed to be. I know you now and I can attack you. I can gut you; I just need the weapon. I need to make a new Hearth Stone and fill it with souls this time – lots of souls."

Henna began to pull things together on her work bench. "I need a globe of pure crystal," she thought. "I have natural crystals big enough to shape. I also need a pure living heart. One of the Tribe's children will do; there's no time for anything else…"

She paused then and looked at the photograph of Shampoo. She reached for it and said out loud: "And you my dear…You don't get off that easily. You think you can escape me in death, do you? I'd speed up the Anathema if I could just to teach you, but I have a better idea…don't plan on keeping that appointment with Miss Tendo…"

* * *

-Wednesday, June 18, 2003, 5:35PM-

Twenty-four hours later, Henna stood on the cliff over her house with a large glowing orb in her hands. Off in the distance, the Village was mourning a child that had died mysteriously in her sleep (Henna had already paid her respects). Henna was sure they would never notice the girl was missing something vital; autopsies were against the beliefs of the Village and the child was unmarked.

The witch raised the globe high in the air and began chanting in a high screeching voice in an unearthly tongue. Below her, the house began to glow. "Come!" Henna commanded. "I have unbound you, but not released you. Demons from Hell have invaded our world. If left unchallenged, they will turn our world to Hell. You will be my weapon against them. You have no choice! Come!"

Slowly, the spirits trapped in her house began to untangle themselves from the house and rise toward the glowing sphere. One by one they rose, leaving the final remains of their earthly lives behind. The house in the chasm began to dissolve into sand and sludge as they left. Henna watched coldly as thousands drifted toward the globe to eventually enter it. The sheer number was staggering, but Henna was uncaring towards them as she had been when she slew them one by one. The only emotion Henna felt was dismay at the ruins of her once glorious mansion. She gave an annoyed sigh as she finally dismissed even that. "I'll have plenty of material to rebuild it once the wars start," she thought.

* * *

The spy watched in shock as Henna's house slump into muck. Then he watched stunned as a helicopter appeared over the ridge and landed near Henna. Henna boarded the copter and it took off flying into the east.

"Not possible," the spy thought. He stood stunned for fifteen minutes before his wits returned to him and he pulled out his radio. "I need to call General Xie and let him know what happened," the soldier said out loud.

Suddenly, Ba appeared before him and flicked the radio out of the man's hands. The demon then grinned at the soldier, causing the man's eyes to roll back in his head and fall to the ground. Ba's grin faded to a smirk as he quickly searched the man for any other communication devices. The red-skinned monster found a phone and a second radio. For good measure, he took the man's watch. Then the demon retrieved the first radio and placed everything on the ground. Ba raised a hoof and began to smash the electronics, grinding everything into the dust. Finally, the hell-spawn was satisfied at the destruction. He walked over to the soldier and grudgingly placed a sleep spell on the man; the demon wasn't allowed to hurt humans but the spell should do just as well for stopping the soldier from raising the alarm.

* * *

-Wednesday, June 18, 2003, 8:00PM-

Zeltrum of the Ruling Hex looked away as the scrying glass faded to black. He pondered everything he had seen at Nyucheizu and then nodded thoughtfully to himself. Slowly he got up from his chair and debated his course of action. Like Altrus, he was clean shaven, bald, and solidly built at two-and-a-half meters tall. On his face was an intricate design almost like orange smoke. As always, he weighed betraying his brothers, but decided against it. He still might need them. Briskly, he strode off to the Council hall. When he got there, he threw open the doors. The other five (Altrus, Beltrus, Galtral, Deltran, and Epltrin) were sitting down, drinking from chalices filled with a thick red fluid. "Henna has made a new Hearth Stone," he pronounced.

"How?" Deltran demanded. "The Earth Elementals won't obey her any more. She cannot Bind them."

"Who would she give this one too?" Galtral laughed. "The Stone Oni is gone. No other creature would dare wield it."

"She'll wield it herself," Zeltrum said. "And she created it from mortal souls."

"Preposterous," Altrus scoffed. "Such an Artifact would quickly grow unstable. The souls are not elementals – they would fight her constantly."

"She's strong enough to dominate them for a time," Zeltrum said. "She has. Now she's flying off to the east."

"The Earth Sprite Daichi is dead," Beltrus stated. "He died when Ryoga Hibiki died. Besides, you cannot trap a Sprite with human souls – it has to be elemental spirits."

"I think she means this one as a weapon," Zeltrum countered.

"So, she's attacking Nerima now?" Altrus asked, his eyes lighting up. "Then it's time to attack her house and raze it to the ground…"

"She has already done that," Zeltrum cut in. "She destroyed her house herself. That's where she got the spirits for the Hearth Stone." Consternation and quarrelling broke out at his words as the rest tried to glean the witch's motivations.

Finally, Altrus brought a massive fist down on the Council table. "Enough! Obviously Henna foresaw us attacking her house and has devised a means to take it – and her power – to Nerima. We've obviously telegraphed our moves. Now she attacks Nerima. The question is: 'Do we go to Nerima?'"

"And which side do we help?" Beltrus prompted.

Altrus looked thoughtful. "Valid question," he said. "Henna might win now if she brings all her power to bear on Nerima. But if she does, she'll be in bad shape. We may be able to force Armageddon once more. The witch may win the world, but we may be able to take it from her. Who cares if she keeps her soul when we get everyone else's."

"I CARE!" Galtral burst out. "She made a fool out of all of us! I want the witch!"

The six of them argued that very point for over an hour when finally Altrus called them to order by shouting: "Fine! We kill the witch, but first we let her wear herself out! Let her burn Nerima to the ground if that's what it takes, but we'll be the ones who collect the souls. Let the Storm take the world then!"

A high cold laugh filled the hall. "See my precious ones. I told you. They're here for all of you as well as me." Henna voice echoed from everywhere. "They were going to pull you out of the house once I was gone." There was a flash at the far end on the room and Henna appeared, holding the new Hearth Stone which was glowing fiercely and crackling with soul energy. She looked at the Ruling Hex. "Oh, so clever, my little demons. Did it amuse you to pass yourselves off as a force of 'Good'? And for the last five hundred years, you were using your allies just so you could cut their throats."

"Wait, Henna," Altrus started. "We can cut a deal here. We're willing to share."

Henna laughed. "Hear that my precious ones! A deal. They want to make a deal." The orb in Henna's hands began to grow brighter. "That's right. Let me live another eight hundred years – No! Eight thousand years! All I have to do is let you butcher mankind." Her voice dropped as she added: "Let you butcher my brothers and sisters."

Beltrus pulled out a hunting horn and blew into it. The note sounded loud and clear.

"It's too late music maker," Henna told Beltrus. "I killed everyone else in the complex. Then I gathered their spirits and I did something terrible to them – I told them the truth about who you are. I told them that you were six demon lords I had tricked long ago. I told them that you were here not just for revenge on me, but that you were here to take as many souls as you could. That you had tricked them into betraying their peoples. Do you know how angry that made them? Do you know how angry they are right now?" The Hearth Stone grew brighter yet.

Galtral made some odd gesture, but nothing happened. "Oh no," Henna said. "Your own Contract prevents you from harming me directly. That's why you created the Council…" Then she hissed. "Too bad it doesn't work both ways!" At that, a bolt of energy leaped from the Stone and struck Galtral. He was thrown back against the wall. Henna advanced on the six disguised demons. "By the way, I threw a Circle about the room while you were arguing." Around the room, the doors all shut, slamming with a dreadful finality. "So, there's no escape."

Altrus puffed out his chest and adopted a high and mighty stance. "You're being a fool, Henna," he blustered.

"Sorry, Ademus – and you are Ademus; only you would try that trick," she replied with a light laugh. "Sorry," she continued. "But cheer up. I'm sure you can build a new form after a few thousand years. In the meantime, I need your heart." Altrus/Ademus looked surprised. "I need all your hearts actually. You see, there's this thing stuck in the Pacific and I'm going to free it. But I need sacrifices to do it; big powerful sacrifices. I figure six Dukes of Hell should do it." Henna held up the Hearth Stone. "Shall we begin?" she asked the now astonished demons.

Altrus answer was a bolt of energy that screamed across the room to smash into the ceiling above Henna. Quickly, Henna pulled from the Souls in the Hearth Stone and created a Shield about herself as the ceiling dropped on her. Altrus watched as she blasted her way out of the wreckage like a bomb. "Aww…" he said mockingly. "Too bad you didn't sign a Contract with the ceiling, little witch. As for my Contract with you, there are these things called 'loopholes' – such as what happens if you attack me directly. I will enjoy eating your Soul."

"NO!" Galtral shouted out as he struck Altrus. "She's mine!"

Altrus struck back at Galtral even as Epltrin ran at Henna. Zeltrum dove and intercepted Epltrin. Henna fired a blast at Beltrus who was also running at her unopposed, but her strike drove him into the ground. Deltran threw fire at Henna trying to blind her even if the fire couldn't hurt her directly. Zeltrum muttered something guttural and Epltrin was thrown off of him.

Meanwhile Altrus pulled a wicked looking knife from a hip scabbard and stabbed Galtral. "YES!" Henna rejoiced silently. "Throw a penny among thieves!" she thought as she brought the Hearth Stone up and focused it on the hole in Galtral's side. She sent the Hearth Stone power screaming into his side. With the demon's shape breached, Henna wrapped her spiritual fist about Galtral's black heart and squeezed. The monster collapsed on the floor and lay still.

Deltran yelled at his brothers: "Stop or she'll win!" Altrus stabbed him next though. Beltrus took out his own knife and ran at Altrus. Epltrin also took out a knife and attacked Henna. She dodged the strike and pushed him back with power from the Hearth Stone. Zeltrum grabbed the Council's table and hurled it at Henna. She ducked under the throw and aimed her next strike at Deltran who was trying to heal his wound. The witch managed a clean shot at the demon, and he dropped to the ground. "Two down, four to go," she thought.

Beltrus and Altrus were now dueling with knives, but Epltrin and Zeltrum were focused on Henna. "So, who's going to win me?" Henna shouted at the two closing in on her.

"First kill you, then fight over you," Epltrin announced, but Beltrus stopped fighting long enough to fire a blast and dropped the ceiling on Epltrin and Zeltrum. Epltrin's knife went flying. This left Beltrus open to Altrus, who promptly stabbed Beltrus in the chest. Henna took Beltrus's heart as well.

Now Altrus literally flew at Henna with his knife swinging in the air. Henna ducked under the blade and ran after Epltrin's knife. Epltrin and Zeltrum exploded upwards from the floor. As Henna grabbed the knife, Altrus closed on her again. She used the Hearth Stone as a shield, blocking Altrus's knife and attacking with her own. The weapon she held was evil, no doubt about it, but Henna shielded herself from the knife's power even as she wielded it – the Hearth Stone made this possible.

Epltrin leaped in from the side and tried to grab the Hearth Stone, but the souls in it rejected him and blew him across the room. Meanwhile, Zeltrum sliced Altrus's throat. Henna backed up and collected her fourth demon heart. The Hearth Stone started to glow red and pulse. The sound of a heartbeat filled the room. "Congratulations," she told Zeltrum and Epltrin as the two demons closed in once more. "You finally learned how to attack in concert." Her face turned grim as she proclaimed: "But it's a little too late." With that, two simultaneous streams of red pulsing power howled out of the Stone and struck Zeltrum and Epltrin in their chests. Both demons dropped to their knees. Henna took Epltrin's knife and stabbed its owner in the chest. He dropped to the floor. Then she did the same to Zeltrum. The Hearth Stone continued to beat like a living heart. Henna threw the knife away from her.

"It's too much power to absorb into myself," Henna thought. "The Stone will shatter, killing me. But I don't need to do that." She used her power to haul the six corpses into a pile and then set fire to the bodies. "I can just weave the spell using Zeltrum's and Epltrin's hearts where they lay and push the other four into the pile." She concentrated and a red globe of magic began to form above the bodies. "Now to set the Storm loose on Nerima early and take advantage of the resulting chaos…"

* * *

-Wednesday, June 18, 2003, 11:55PM-

"Cronus!" Jakaro burst out as he stormed into the Observatory where Cronus was working. "Get your ass out here!"

"I'm up here!" Cronus called down from high up on the Machine.

"Rip out the Council's gears! Henna destroyed them! Our spies just confirmed it."

"Oh, hell!" Cronus muttered covering his eyes.

"Maomolin's letter was right," Jakaro said grimly. "Henna wiped out the remaining Council members including the Ruling Hex. That means he's probably right about her next move."

"Damn it!" Cronus swore as he climbed down a ladder. Then he strode over to a worktable and made some notes. Jakaro watched as the TimeKeeper adjusted drawings – modifying some and throwing out others. Finally, Cronus slumped into a chair dispiritedly. "It's no good," he said after a few moments. "Without the Council, things will get even more unstable all the quicker."

"O.K.," Jakaro stated. "Let's start there. You said they get more unstable. Why?"

Cronus was about to dismiss the question, but thought better of it. Instead, he got up and placed a few gears into the machine. One of them had a hand crank. "Help me with this," he requested as he gripped the handle. Jakaro came over and Cronus said: "Spin it with me until I say 'Stop'," he told Jakaro. Slowly, the two of them turn the gear and the Machine advanced. Suddenly, a knocking sound arose. "STOP!" Cronus called out.

Jakaro didn't obey though. Instead, he shoved the handle hard. There was a popping sound from the Machine somewhere above them and three gears fell out to land nearby. Jakaro turned to look at the gears. Cronus tried to grab him, but Jakaro brushed him off. "Thought so," Jakaro said in a satisfied tone. "You've been trying to save everyone." Cronus looked stricken. "My friend," Jakaro went on bluntly. "Not everyone is going to make it. People are going to die, including some of our dear friends." The Kitsune Lord sighed and his tone became gentler. "This is the way of the world and of the Balance. Some live, some die. Your job is to figure out how to save as many as we can, but you don't get to pick and choose which ones."

"I wasn't picking and choosing. I wanted to save them all," Cronus defended himself.

"A worthy – but impossible – goal," Jakaro said patiently. "You know your job is to find a stable configuration – the largest one possible mind you, but it has to be stable. Then you have to advise us how to get to it. This is it. Otherwise, countless others will die who could have been saved. Is that fair to them?"

"No, but is it fair to those who will die?" Cronus challenged. "Especially to those who've already given so much. Consider the three gears who were the first to fall out. What about them?"

"If they could be saved without costing others their lives, I say we save them," Jakaro answered. "But let me ask you a question: how would they feel if they knew a life – or lives – had been traded for each of them. Do you think they themselves would approve?" Cronus first looked troubled. Then he blew out a sigh. "Exactly," Jakaro continued. He turned away from Cronus and walked back to the door. "Again, save as many as you can, but get a stable configuration quickly. Henna attacked the Council for a reason. Maomolin's letter warned us she's going to release the Storm early. We have even less time that you think – Get a configuration!"

As he walked past one of the three gears on the floor, Jakaro stomped on it and broke it. "There!" he said firmly. "Now you won't be tempted. Good luck, my friend." With that, Jakaro walked out the door.

* * *

A/N: Next: Storm Rising


	11. Storm Rising

Chapter 11: Storm Rising

-Thursday, June 19, 2003, 1:25AM-

The large globe of magic streaked above the Western Pacific ocean leaving a wake in its passage. It paid no attention to the ship it nearly capsized or the Chinese fighter jets pursuing it in vain; such things were beneath its notice if it had any notice to give. It did skirt the occasional island solely for the purpose of maintaining its contact with the sea. Said islands had their coastlines suddenly (and disastrously) flooded by the wake though. Other than those slight distractions, it cut a straight line across the featureless sea until it stopped abruptly. A GPS unit would show the coordinates of this location to be 11°19′47.650″N, 142°11′57.498″E, but there was no sign post to indicate that the globe now hung over an area known as Challenger Deep, and the deepest part of the Mariana Trench.

The globe floated about sixty meters above the surface of the ocean, glowing with a maleficent red light. Below it, the sea turned red in the light as the light penetrated the surface of the water. The light seemed to sink into the water reaching down into the darkness beyond the realm of sunlight. Deeper and deeper it reached, flowing like lava into the depths. Within three minutes, the baleful light had reached five kilometers below the surface when an angry green light rose to meet it. The two columns of light flowed and twisted together. Up above the surface, the globe of magic collapsed in on itself and flowed down into the sea, following its own light.

Deeper and deeper the sorcery reached, chasing the twisted columns of light until its red essence poured across the very sands of Challenger Deep, nearly eleven kilometers below the surface of the sea. The area, usually a place of constant midnight, was already lit by a green light that was emitted from the very water. Static energy began to crackle through the water as the two thaumaturgies mixed and did war upon each other. Slowly, the red Power began to dominate the green, and the bolts of energy began to multiply through the region. The bolts skittered through the sand and grew to span over a kilometer across, covering the width of Challenger Deep. Then the energy climbed the sloped sides of the Deep to escape into the rest of the Mariana Trench.

* * *

-Thursday, June 19, 2003, 4:50AM-

"IT'S COMING!"

Tofu Ono was thrown from his bed as the Thought reached out to touch him, much to the surprise of his wife, Kasumi. Tofu sat up on the floor and tried to focus on the alien thought. "King Kurage?" the quarter-Kitsune answered groggily.

"The Trench is lit up like one of your cities, Man," the Jellyfish King responded. "The Power is racing north as we speak. The Storm is coming. Gather your forces, Man! The battle for our world is upon us. I'll do what I can here to weaken and delay it, but I cannot stop it. Go!"

Tofu stood and answered "Done!"

"Tofu! What's wrong?" Kasumi demanded.

"The Storm!" her husband told her urgently. "It's breaking now – earlier than we expected. I've got to summon the others." He turned his face to the ceiling. "MASTER!" his thought reached out.

"I hear you, my son," Jakaro answered. "It's upon us. Warn the mortals! I'll get people moving here!"

Tofu picked his phone up from the endtable. He touched a couple of buttons and was rewarded with a sleepy voice. "Yo…" Ranma answered.

"Ranma? Get to Nerima now. It's rising from the Sea as we speak. The Storm is coming," Tofu spoke breathlessly. "We've got about forty-eight hours."

"Finally…" Ranma said in a stronger voice. "We're at Mount Terror. We'll be there shortly."

"No, don't come here. You still need to keep a low profile until the right time. Mount Terror is as good as place as any," Tofu replied. "We need to spread out to avoid a central attack."

"Yes, but we should be a bit closer," Ranma argued. "We'll move to a hotel just on the western edge of the city."

"All right," Tofu agreed.

"Tofu?" Ranma asked.

"Yes?" Tofu prompted.

"Take care."

"You too, little brother."

* * *

Ranma turned to Akane who was already sitting up. Both of them were naked. "It's rising," he told her.

Akane blew out a big breath. "We better get dressed and moving."

"In a second. Come here," he responded. With that, he embraced her tightly and she returned his fervor. They held on tightly for several minutes until Ranma said hushly: "Remember, you're fighting for me too. I don't want to live without you."

Akane nodded. "You remember too. I feel the same way about you." She paused and added: "Is there enough time to deal with Shampoo?"

"I think so. It'll take time to get here – like Saturday," he answered.

"That's time enough to get reset again. If everything goes to plan, we can encourage Shampoo to leave the city. That will be one less complication to deal with…"

* * *

Toshio picked up the phone. "Go," he said tersely.

"The dojo is in an uproar," Sasuke replied. "Expect a phone call any moment. It's on."

"We have anywhere from six to thirty-six hours until the Storm gets here," Toshio stated. "Who knows when Henna will attack. Raise the alarm, but no central muster. Let's not get wiped out in a single raid."

* * *

Ryoga awoke as Akari sat bolt upright in bed. "What's up?" he asked her.

"Yume just told me the Storm is on its way," Akari said hopping out of bed.

"Let me get confirmation…" he started just as his phone went off showing Tofu's number. "Never mind," he said. He picked up the phone and opened with: "We're moving."

"Good," Tofu answered. "What's your ETA?"

"We'll be at Ucchan's in two hours."

"Good, don't dawdle. Has your inner self touched base?" Tofu asked.

"Yo!" came the inner answer.

"He just did."

"Any advice?" Tofu prompted.

Ryoga started swearing.

"What's wrong?" Tofu asked sounding alarmed.

"I do not believe this," Ryoga said.

"What?"

"He said: Don't kill Happosai, we need him," Ryoga repeated back.

Tofu started to swear as well. "Fine," he finished grudgingly. "We'll settle up later."

"He's going to get away, you know that, don't you," Ryoga warned.

"Probably, but we have other issues right now. Call once you get to Ucchan's," the part-Kitsune told him.

"Will do," Ryoga acknowledged, and then he hung up.

Akari was just getting off the phone with Ukyo as Ryoga turned to face her. "I heard," she said. "Never mind. Ukyo is running to the market for supplies. She should be back before we get..." She was cut off by a pounding on the door.

"It's now!" Olaf called through the door.

"We're moving!" Ryoga called back. "Meet you down stairs!"

"All right!"

Ryoga turned and grabbed Akari. She returned the embrace and whispered: "It will be OK. I drank the Kool-Aid."

Ryoga gave a muffled laugh/sob. "Has Yume told you anything else?"

"No, she doesn't know what's going to happen anymore than we do. She's very scared, but she's putting on a brave face," Akari replied.

"Suma's not scared, but he's worried. He doesn't know how this is going down either – he's not sure if Yume is a replacement or something new. He insists we need Happosai to beat Henna though – worst luck."

"So be it," Akari shrugged.

* * *

-Thursday, June 19, 2003, 11:00AM-

At sea level, above the northern end of the Mariana Trench, water geysered into the air in several locations, adding to the airborne moisture. Red and green bolts of energy flew from the sea to detonate high in the sky. Thick clouds began to spin out of nowhere, flowing in a counter-clockwise pattern. Soon, a proper eye wall formed and the winds intensified around it as the rainless typhoon gained strength.

King Kurage watched the Power rise out of the trench, astounded by the ferocity. "The Elements have had it," he thought. "I might as well try and stop the Moon in its path. There's no hope of appeasement. Only freeing the Sprite can stop this."

* * *

-Thursday, June 19, 2003, 12:00PM-

"Go back to Hokkaido!" Toshio Kuno ordered his nephew.

"Not happening," Tatewaki told his uncle steadily. "Now tell us where the best place to set up is." Nari, the healer watched the two men with a firm expression.

Between his nephew's calm demeanor and the witch's presence, Toshio was getting a headache. It would have been easier to dismiss both of them if they were acting high handedly, but they weren't – in fact, they were being down right reasonable and it was freaking Toshio out a little.

"You might as well, Uncle dearest," Kodachi chimed in. "We're here and we're not going away." She walked over to stand with Tatewaki and Nari. Tatewaki looked like he was going to say something, but Nari nudged him and shook her head, so he stopped. "You want us out of the way," Kodachi continued. "The best place to put us is an aide station. We'll be out of the fighting and helping the cause. Where should we be?"

"The fighting may be city-wide – there's no safe place!" Toshio shot back.

"There's no safe place in all of Japan," Nari returned. "Which is why I'm here. If the fighting hits the aide station, we are in dire straits anyway. If we lose, we're all dead. So, what's the plan?"

Toshio held a hand to his head and debated calling his ninjas – it was Tatewaki's stance that stopped him. He had never seen his nephew look so determined. "He's finally come into his power," Toshio thought. "If I don't factor him in, he could destroy everything just by accident." He sighed then. "Fine," he said out loud. "Promise me you'll stay where I put you – I need to be able to count on you."

"Promise us we'll be in a useful spot," Nari countered tartly.

"Done," Toshio answered. "Set up at Furinkan High School – that's the evacuation point."

Tatewaki looked confused. "Evacuation?" he quizzed.

"Evacuation," Toshio countered firmly. "I'm not passing out the plan to the men in the trenches." He glared at them. "That's not for you to know just yet. School is getting out at 3PM today for the holiday. As soon as the students leave, move in quietly and set up. You're on duty starting at midnight tonight."

"Tonight?" Nari questioned.

"Tonight," Toshio said determinedly. "The Storm is rising three days before we expected it. We don't know how fast it will come here."

"How do you know it will come here?" Kodachi asked.

"Because this is the closest Nexus," Nari answered here. "The Storm will be drawn here like iron to a magnet."

"She's right," Toshio confirmed. "Nari can fill you in as you setup. Once you hear the complete story, if you have any common sense, you'll get on the first plane out of here."

Kodachi laughed – it was a surprisingly clean sound. "I've never been known for common sense, Uncle Dearest. Don't count on me leaving."

Toshio's response was a very sour look.

* * *

-Thursday, June 19, 2003, 2:10PM-

Kasumi read through her journal feverishly. It contained every vision she had since the Sight came upon her. She was trying to figure out what her next steps should be. "There's got to be some clue somewhere," she thought.

Nodoka came into the living room carrying a suitcase. Kasumi looked up in surprise and asked: "Auntie, where are you going?"

"The same place you are – wherever that might be, but we can't stay here," Nodoka told her. "The dojo is high on Henna's hit list."

"I'm not leaving here!" Kasumi replied strongly. "This is my home!"

"It's a death trap," Othan stated as he walked in. "The only place worse is the Unryu's farm, which is being evacuated as we speak."

"What? Where are they going?" Kasumi asked.

"The civilians are going to Sendai; the warriors are coming to Nerima except for the contingent of Kitsunes setting up an ambush," he answered. "If Henna attacks the farm, she's in for a rude surprise."

"Well, we need to set up a trap here too, then," Kasumi stated.

"Already done," Othan returned. "My squad will be manning it. You will not," he added firmly.

"Then what do you expect me to do?" she asked a little crossly.

"Let me ask a question," he rejoined. "What can you do?"

"I can…" Kasumi started, but stopped. Othan was baiting her. He knew exactly where she should be, and something told her she should too. She sighed then. "All right, where is it?" At his raised eyebrow, she continued: "The aide station, where's the nearest aide station?" He grinned at her.

"Makes sense," Nodoka approved. "I can go with you there."

"Are you sure you don't want to go to Sendai?" Othan asked Nodoka. "There will be plenty of help at the aide station already."

"You've had too much to drink, if you think I'm abandoning my family," Nodoka told him tartly.

"Tut tut," he returned offhandedly. "I'm on duty." Then his face turned serious. "I promised Ranma and Kuno I'd try to get you out of here. You're not a warrior, Nodoka."

"You'll find out differently if you try and force me," she shot back.

Othan made a face. "I suppose you'll only get on the next bus back. At least this way, I'll know where you are. All right, the aide station it is."

"Which is where?"

Nabiki walked in then. "Furinkan High School," the sharp eyed woman said. "That's the evacuation center."

"It's hardly a fortress," Kasumi pressed.

"No, but it will be," Nabiki said. "Hideo and his fellow earth mages are going to beef up the walls this evening – just as soon as the kids go home."

"Why did you can it an 'evacuation center'?" Nodoka asked.

"Let just say there will be a lot of people there…" Nabiki told her.

* * *

-Thursday, June 19, 2003, 4:00PM-

At NHK Studios in Tokyo, the meteorologists were in an uproar. "Where the hell did this thing come from?" one demanded.

"I don't know!" another burst out. "The front has long passed. There shouldn't be any energy for a few more days."

"Well, it doesn't know that apparently," a third interjected. "We've gone from a clear sea to an eye wall in less than six hours.

"More importantly," a newscaster cut in. "Where is it heading?"

"Here!" the first one barked out. "It's coming straight here!"

"What? Shouldn't it go east at this time of year?"

"Again, it doesn't know that!"

The third meteorologist turned to the newscaster and said: "Well, there's your lead story: In thirty-six hours or so, Tokyo is going to take a direct hit from a massive typhoon."

* * *

-Thursday, June 19, 2003, 4:25PM-

Toshio looked at the dispatches one of his ninjas brought him. Then he held out the papers and let them fall to the desk with a serious sigh. "What's wrong, Master?" the attending ninja asked.

"I want the flamethrowers reworked; they'll be useless in high winds," Kuno stated. "Contact Kuno Engineering and have Tatsuo Ageda sent to me immediately. Warn his people they are putting in some serious overtime. All leave is canceled."

"Yes, Master," the ninja answered.

As the man turned to leave, Kuno spoke once more: "Oh, have Steven Marcus brought to me as well."

"Yes, Master," the ninja repeated and then left.

Not three minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in Marcus!" Kuno called out.

The Mage Marcus entered the room, wearing a white glove on his right hand. The hand had been severely burned three months ago down to the bone, but had been blessed by the World Spirit Apay so that it healed – mostly. It still was a bit raw and tender, but considering where it had started, Marcus was grateful for the Spirit's intervention. He had every reason to believe that it would be whole again in due time. "You sent for me, Mr. Kuno?" Marcus asked politely.

"I have a job for you," Kuno acknowledged. "I know you've been busy building up the Sacred Fire reserves, but we have a typhoon coming." Marcus nodded his head, so Kuno continued. "Our long range weapons are going to be of limited use. I want you to come up with something that can be used at close range against Henna's zombies – even in high winds."

"That won't be easy…" Marcus murmured.

"There's nothing easy about this whole thing," Kuno snorted. "Do it though. I have a nasty feeling we are going to need it."

* * *

-Thursday, June 19, 2003, 5:00PM-

Akane looked through the binoculars from the roof of the school. "Where the hell is she?" the young woman burst out.

Ranma shook his head as he sat on the trussed up assassin. "I don't know. You'd think this would be forefront in her mind," he commented.

"I'm going down there," she stated.

"No, you're not," he countered. "Not until Othan gives us the all clear. Shampoo isn't sneaking up on you. She's expecting to present herself and get ambushed. Instead, we got a load of Henna's assassins. Something's gone wrong."

"Do you think she's betrayed us?"

"It's possible," he answered.

"But you don't believe that," she replied.

"No, I don't. Shampoo doesn't trust Henna – that I believe. My guess is that Henna has her claws in Shampoo deeper than we thought. She picked up on today's meeting, waylaid Shampoo, and sent the assassins instead."

Behind them, the two heard something land. They turned to see Taro's bull form appear. He took out a flask of water and resumed his human shape. "I can't find a trace of her anywhere," he announced.

"How good is your sense?" Ranma asked.

Taro shook his head. "Good enough to know she's not in Nerima."

"Crud, " Akane sighed. "What do we do now?"

"We finish springing the trap and gather up as many of the assassins as we can," Ranma stated.

"And then?" Akane prompted.

Now Ranma sighed. "And then I don't know, Akane. I really don't know…"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Tokyo Ward of Edogawa, Shampoo slept in her hotel room. She was oblivious to the fact that she had now slept for over forty hours – just as she was oblivious to the blackness continuing to slowly crawl across her face.

* * *

A/N: Next up – The Heart of Darkness


	12. The Heart of Darkness

Chapter 12: The Heart of Darkness

-Friday, June 20 2003, 6:30PM-

The stillness of the silent forest was shattered as the helicopter streaked above it. "Mistress!" one of the men inside called out. "We're here – wherever that may be!"

Henna stood up. "We're over Aokigahara, about 100 kilometers southwest of Tokyo," she told him.

"Aokigahara?"

Henna nodded. "The name means 'Sea of Trees', but the locals also call it the 'Wood of the Suicides'. I need a huge army, and I'll get one here." She went forward and told the pilot to hover.

"But, there's nowhere to land!" the mercenary protested.

"Just do it and shut up!" Henna told him. The man shrugged and did as he was told. The helicopter slowed to hover about 200 meters above the tree canopy. She turned back to the first man. "Open the door! I'm getting off here."

"Yes, Mistress! What are we to do when you leave?" the first man asked.

"You're to attack the Tendo Dojo! Use the missiles! I don't care about the surrounding houses! Leave no survivors! Then ditch the copter and make your way back to China. I'll meet you there once I'm done in Japan," she ordered.

"Yes, Mistress!" The man opened the door and stood back. Henna picked up the Hearth Stone and stepped forward. Then she jumped out of the copter. Her henchman watched as she floated away from the helicopter and down into the tree canopy. He closed the door.

A third man (there were five in the helicopter) looked at the first. "We get the hell out of here?" the third man prompted.

"Hell yeah!" the first answered. "I'm not volunteering to have the Air Self-Defense Force blow us away! I say we ditch the copter and head to the States. I've had enough mystic bull-shit to last me a lifetime."

"Done – " was the last word any of them said as the copter blew itself apart.

* * *

Henna stood in the forest and watched as the helicopter pieces rain down. She shook her head gravely. "No one gets away from me. No one," she told the falling pieces. Once the forest had swallowed the wreckage, Henna walked over to where the bulk of it had crashed. None of the wreckage was smoking. Henna held the Hearth Stone up in one hand and began to sing. The Stone began to glow in response. Henna continued to sing until five streams of water snaked their way through the forest and slithered off the ground to wrap around her. Pleasure showed on Henna's face as the water sank into her body. She stood there motionless for a few minutes with her eyes closed. When she opened then, five desiccated zombies stood before her.

"You wouldn't serve me faithfully when you were alive. Now, you'll serve me faithfully when you are dead," she told the zombies. "Come along; we need to find the center of the Woods." She turned and strode off with her zombies surrounding her like an honor guard. As she walked, she talked to the dead men. "You are now the first of my new army, but we need more – thousands more. You see, I couldn't bring the zombies of my house with me from China. There was no way to cross the thousands of kilometers from home to Nerima without the world noticing. Sooner or later, somebody would have decided to nuke us and damn the repercussions. And the Fire of Creation would have undone us – all of us. But, there's other ways to do things. So I forced my Dead into the Stone and used them to feed my power."

"They fight me though," she mused. "They were never willing servants and they are still not. The Stone's unstable and might betray me under duress against the Sorcerers of Nerima. I could make new servants – like yourselves, but there's a limit to how many living people I can convert to zombies at any given time – even through my minions, even with the Stone. Otherwise I'd have owned the world by now. So now we need to find some old Dead – Dead with their bodies and preferably cursed; like say by suicide. Dead with a grievance against the Living."

She snorted then and continued: "Unfortunately, the Japanese usually cremate their Dead, so no bodies. However, these Woods are built on the bodies of the Abandoned and the Lost. Over the centuries, thousands have died here without the proper Blessings. Thousands upon thousands – all ripe for the taking. And with the power of the Stone, I can resurrect their cursed forms into a huge army that will feed happily upon the Living. With these Dead, I can smash Nerima and ground it into dust. We can drain everyone from here to the sea and raze Tokyo before anyone can organize a counterstrike. We can cross the hundred kilometers in three hours like the tide." With that, Henna fell silent and walked deeper into the Wood of the Suicides.

Finally, she came upon an area of the forest covered with hundreds of dry skeletons laying about making the area look like a bone yard among the trees. The skeletons were whole, stitched together with wood fibers like small dried vines. Some hung from trees like ghastly mobiles, some were tied to stakes upside down, and yet others were piled carelessly on top of each other. It was impossible to set foot in the area without stepping on a poor unfortunate. In the center of this horrific region, about 75 meters from the edge, Henna saw a small half-fallen stone temple. Originally, the temple would have consisted on of single room with one entrance, but the doorway was like the roof – half fallen in. More skeletons were draped over the building.

"Amazing," Henna murmured. "Apparently, the Stone Oni must have created a home for himself and gathered what remains he could here. Too bad he didn't stay here." She started to carefully pick her way forward, not out of respect for the Dead, but only so she could watch her footing. The bones she trod on did not break or snap; they just bore her weight with a dry sound of stone upon stone. "He did something to preserve these," she noted. "This is a grand place to start – I can raise these Dead with far less effort than those buried in the forest. But I will get all of them – my army will be huge!" she exalted.

She made her way forward to the temple door and debated looking inside of it, but time was ticking. Instead, she had the zombies make a waist-high stone cairn to serve as an altar in front of the building and she set the Hearth Stone on it. When all was ready, she listened to the Woods around her. "Glorious…I can hear the Despair of the Dead and their hatred for the Living – how marvelous. They are ripe for my Game!"

Henna stood behind the cairn and lifted her voice to the silent forest: "Here me all of you, oh Dead of Aokigahara! The World forgot about you when you lived and even more so when you died! Hear me and accept my Bargain. Take your revenge upon the Living!" With that, she began to sing in an alien tongue again. The woods swallowed her voice, but, somehow, her words had an effect as a glowing mist began to appear, emanating from the very ground. As Henna sang and watched, the mist began to concentrate on the bones. The bones started to move and dry, desiccated flesh began to form over them. Henna eyes glittered.

When the attack came, Henna was mostly unprepared. The five sword slashes should have disemboweled her immediately, but Henna always maintained an active Shield, especially out in the World. As it was, she was pitched from the cairn by the force of the blow and there was an explosion where she had been standing. She heard a muffled oath behind her as she flew through the air and crashed to the ground. Henna heard another body land heavy on the other side of temple grounds. "Wha-t-t?" she stammered as she picked herself. The glowing mist began to quickly fade away and the bones in the woods settled once more.

She looked across the bone-covered woods to see a large man slowly climb to his feet. He was a handsome man with black hair and a familiar face – he looked like he could be Ranma Ono's father. However, his golden eyes proclaimed him as something other than human. "Not this time, Henna," the golden-eyed man said in a harsh voice. "I watched you ruin the world time and time again. But not this time. Not in the Final Iteration."

Henna raised her hand and a globe of Power flew at the man, but he made a slashing gesture with his open hand and the globe fell apart as if it had been sliced by something. "What are you talking about?" she demanded. "Who are you?"

"I am no one important," Maomolin answered. "No one of any consequence – or at least I was. I sat on the sidelines of History and watched as it unfolded again and again. But things are different now. I can act, and I know the key events. This is one of them. You raising Aokigahara is the beginning of the end for all of us. But it's not going to happen now!" With that he launched a Chi blast at her.

Henna would have laughed. A Chi blast: something so easy to absorb and reflect. But as she tried to absorb it, the Power would not flow into her. It was an alien power, something not human at all. Instead, the blast threw her back five meters. "What are you?" she demanded again as she landed upright, keeping her footing.

"A shadow made real," the golden-eyed man replied cryptically. "Bound to the living in ways you'll never understand." He tossed another Chi blast at her. Henna blocked it this time, spending the energy to keep it away from her.

"Tut, tut…" Maomolin said mockingly. "You're not suppose to take me seriously. My enemies never do. I'm just an inconvenient nuisance. Or at least I was!" With that, he leapt at her, bounding across the space between them in a single leap. Henna raised her staff against him and felt something bite deep into the staff.

"Claws," she thought in surprise. "He has invisible claws! He knows the Cat Fist!" She brought the end of the staff down hard on the ground. The resulting explosion tossed Maomolin back. "Strong you may be," Henna grated out. "But you're still no match for me."

"We'll see," Maomolin said grimly. He leaped into the trees and Henna had to dodge as large limbs began falling at her. This continued until Maomolin dropped an entire tree on her. She evaded the bulk of the tree, but was caught in its remaining branches.

"Get him!" she ordered her five zombies as Maomolin tried to close for the kill. The zombies moved with astonishing speed.

Maomolin jumped back into the trees. "Yeah, no," he called back. "I know all about your zombies – and their weaknesses! I won't let them absorb my power!" He began to slice and throw more tree limbs down, pinning two of the zombies.

"Fall back and help me!" Henna ordered the three standing zombies as the two pinned zombies tried to free themselves. Maomolin hurled more branches at them and her. Henna realized what he was doing: he was trying to clear enough space in the thick treetops to drop another tree on her. "Get me out of here now!" Henna screamed. Her zombies pulled her free just as the tree came down, but one more zombie was trapped.

"Your zombies are great at draining the living, but they lack something in upper body strength, don't they?" Maomolin observed. "And draining the life from a tree limb does nothing about the weight."

Henna threw a water disruption spell that caught the golden-eyed man on his branch. Maomolin dropped like a stone and crashed to the ground. "Got you!" Henna cried. "I knew you had a weakness!" Her two zombies ran forward at the downed man. To her astonishment, Maomolin staggered up and leapt back into the trees. She cast another spell bolt, but it was deflected by a branch, which blew apart. Still, she called out mockingly: "Not so brave now, are you?!"

"Only the foolish are brave…" he stated as another branch came down at Henna. She dived out of the way. "I know fear, yet still attack. That may actually be Courage," Maomolin finished. He tossed something at her which Henna batted away with her Power. The grenade blew up in a small fireball that destroyed the bones it landed upon. A scream filled the woods and Henna's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, right – I'm suppose to count to three first, then throw – let's try that again," Maomolin suggested. He threw a second grenade and Henna batted it away again. This one blew up in the air.

"I've fought many mercenaries, golden-eyes," Henna snarled. "They have one thing in common – they're all dead."

"Ah, but I'm not a mercenary," Maomolim said flippantly.

Henna snapped her fingers and pointed upwards at Maomolin. Her two remaining free zombies began to rapidly climb his tree. Meanwhile Henna liberated one of the trapped zombies and moved toward another.

"Knew I forgot to do something," Maomolin muttered as he watched her free them. He took out a grenade and placed it at his feet. As the two climbers reached him, he used his magic to trigger the grenade. He and the zombies vanished in a ball of fire.

Henna watched her enemy self-destruct and Felt the two zombies disappear for good. "More Sacred Fire," she seethed. "And if he's gone, I'm a Musk. He's trying to even the odds." As she thought that, another grenade exploded on the last trapped zombie.

"Three down – two to go," Maomolin said stepping out from behind a tree. He launched a Chi blast at her.

Henna slapped it out of the air contemptuously. "You'll die a very slow death," she promised him.

"Already met the Lady," Maomolin bantered. "But you're overdue for your appointment. Let me help…" With that, he made a sweeping gesture and threw half a dozen grenades at Henna.

She intercepted them with her Power and bounced them back at him, but the weapons detonated away from both of them. Henna snapped her fingers and her two surviving zombies ran toward Maomolin. The golden-eyed man leapt back up into the trees and began throwing branches at Henna again. Unfortunately, the branches were too big to simply deflect. "All right, I've had enough of this," Henna thought. "He's been amusing, but it's time to end it. He keeps just out of range of my life force drain and he's been trying to lead me away from the Hearth Stone. Little does he know I can draw on it from where I am. Let's show him!" Henna hit high gear and threw disruption bolt after disruption bolt at Maomolin, blowing apart tree limb after tree limb as the man dodged her. After a few minutes of this, she could tell that she was winning as her enemy became more and more winded. "You're failing, golden man," she taunted. "Surrender now – I may show you mercy…"

"Surrender? I've seen your mercy little witch," Maomolin scoffed. "You're as hellish as those you've sold your soul to."

Henna's eyes narrowed. "Who are you, man?" she demanded once more. She threw another series of bolts forcing Maomolin to leap to the ground. The two remaining zombies ran at him.

Maomolin did a series of back-flips away from them. His final flip took him over the cairn with the glowing Hearth Stone. He landed crouched just behind the cairn as Henna's disruption bolts slammed into the cairn and the Stone, having no effect. Using the cover provided, he stood up a little, with his eyes just above the Stone, and looked directly at Henna while breathing hard. "In the end, I am my sons' father," he proclaimed. "Goodbye!" Then he touched a finger to the Hearth Stone while he yelled: "BREAKING POINT!"

Henna's world went white as the Stone blew apart with a tremendous explosion…

* * *

When she could see again, Henna found herself lost in the underbrush. Slowly, she extracted herself, discovering in the process that she had three cracked ribs and a broken arm. Of her zombies, there was no sign. "What the hell just happened?" she wondered, her wits temporarily lost. "Last thing I remember was bringing the new Hearth Stone to Aokigahara. I just killed five traitors when…" Her eyes widened. "The Golden-Eye man! The Hearth Stone! NO!" She ran forward, ignoring her injuries and following a trail of broken branches and trees – her passage through the thick forest. She stopped at a ring of earth and fallen trees that seemed to encircle a break in the trees. "NO! That's not possible!" She leaped up the mound of debris and stopped in cold horror. The ring encircled a crater nearly two hundred meters in diameter and thirty meters deep. There was no sign of the fallen temple, her zombies, the skeleton ground, the golden-eyed man, or the Hearth Stone.

Henna's jaw dropped open and she fell into a sitting position. It was several minutes before her thoughts started. "He destroyed the Stone," she muttered to herself in wonder. "That's not possible, but he did it. Any mortal who touched the Stone should have been sucked in and made prisoner, Breaking Point or no Breaking Point – not smashed it to smithereens. Who was he? How did he do it?" She severely doubted her adversary survived the explosion.

Eventually, the pain from her arm and side drew her attention and she cast a healing spell on herself. Once she had completed that, she focused on her predicament; she could waste time raging about it later. She thought: "I have no mercenaries about right now and no means of summoning more." Her radio had not survived the explosion either. "My zombies are gone as well. The biggest loss is the Hearth Stone. Without its Power, I cannot compel the corrupt of Aokigahara. Where can I get my army now?" A thought occurred to her. "There's always the tried and true…"

* * *

Henna watched from the cover of the woods as the wary father stoked his campfire. "Do you really think that was thunder?" his wife asked standing behind him.

"I don't know," the man answered. "But it's all I can think of. Honestly, if the sun hadn't set, I'd tell you to pack up and let's get out of here. We won't be able to find our way out without sunlight though. So, we have to wait."

"Yuki and Rina are huddled together. I think they're a little freaked," the woman commented.

"That makes three of us," he responded.

"Four," his wife added.

"We hold tight and wait for daylight. Keep in mind the rangers know we're here. It will be all right."

"I hope so," she said as she sat down next to him.

Henna watched the scene and took out a knife. "Oh, it will be all right, children. Auntie Henna will see that you have a good night," she thought.

* * *

By the time the sun rose, Henna had found twelve campsites and the ranger station. She now had roughly sixty zombies. "Not the five thousand I had originally planned on," Henna thought as she reviewed her troops. "I now have to think in terms of a strike force instead of a sweeping army. Get in fast, make more zombies, reclaim the Sprite, and get out again. Killing Akane, capturing Akari, and killing Ranma is all bonus. I'll strike as the Storm is breaking – the more chaos, the better. First I need a way to get to Nerima unnoticed." Just as she finished that thought, a bus loaded with tourist pulled up to the ranger station. Henna smiled and sent her strike force to claim the bus – and the souls of the passengers.

* * *

Cronus was startled as the gear broke in half under his paws as he tried to force it to fit into the Machine. He stared at the two pieces for a moment and then sighed. "I'm running out of time," he thought. "The battle has already begun. I better get on with this…" He turned sadly and placed the two halves of the gear on his workbench, next to the gear Jakaro had shattered. Then he turned back to the Machine and studied the mountain of remaining gears. With another sigh, he pulled out a third gear and set it with the other two. "Ranma and Akane, it looks like it's up to you. I hope you're ready, or there will be a lot more gears on floor," he muttered under his breath.

* * *

A/N: Next up - Attack at the Dojo


	13. Attack at the Dojo

Chapter 13: Attack at the Dojo

-Saturday, June 21 2003, 6:45AM-

Othan studied the sky and noted the clouds falling over one another as they rolled with the wind. "The Storm is making its presence known," he thought. "It's today – one way or another." So far, the weather was barely manageable, provided he maintained his hand and foot holds. The wind was gusting from 50 to 65 km/hr with the occasional blast that he braced against.

Othan went back to watching the street from the roof of a house near the dojo proper (the Tendo house was too exposed). At his side was a rocket launcher. The Tendo house was empty – its residents long since moved elsewhere. Wales and Banner were hidden on neighboring houses, also similarly armed. The radio crackled at his side: "Othan? It's Artel."

Othan picked up the radio: "Go."

"Captain Kichida just contacted me. Something happened at Aokigahara last night. Police found a lot of campsites this morning sans people – just all their belongings. They also found clothes strewn here and there about a ranger station – an otherwise empty ranger station. No one's seen the rangers, but their cars are in the lot. "

Othan dropped his head and cursed. "Hellfire," he muttered. "Let me guess – not a drop of blood was found anywhere though."

"Bingo," Artel said pointedly. "The local police are not calling foul play yet because of that, but they are weirded out royally."

"She's here for real. The cat was right," Othan stated.

"Looks it," Artel agreed.

"Any sign of her zombies?"

"No, that's the scary part. No missing neighborhoods. Air reconnaissance found a crater in the center of the forest, but nothing else."

"You sure? No one's actually missing outside of Aokigahara?"

"No neighborhoods. The only thing unaccounted for is a bus full of tourist. Looks like they broke down somewhere," Artel answered.

"A bus? How many were…" Othan started to ask, but then stopped as a bus came into view down the street. He trained his binoculars on it. Then he asked: "Artel? Was the bus from Fuji Tours?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Because it's headed our way!"

"What?"

"We don't get tour buses on this street! Code RED!" Othan quickly changed the radio channel to Wales' and Banner's frequency. "The bus! Be ready!" he barked into the radio.

He watched as the bus picked up speed as it ran down the street. Four houses before the dojo complex, it swerved and seemed to target the heavy closed gates of the complex. "On my mark!" Othan ordered into the radio. The bus slammed into the gates and burst them asunder. "FIRE!" Othan ordered. Three rockets fired on the bus. Othan's seemed to hit the bus head on, but, despite the fiery show, there was little damage other than the windshield spidering. Banner's and Wales' ordinances were likewise blocked from penetrating the bus, but, because Henna wasn't a god, she couldn't stop them from flipping the bus on its back. Zombies leaped out of the wreckage in all directions as if they were ants from a smashed anthill. Quickly, the nearest zombies ran into the house while others ran toward the dojo. Still others ran into neighboring houses.

"Damn it!" Othan swore. He pressed an emergency broadcast beacon and then yelled into the radio at his two men: "Empty the rockets and then retreat!" He dropped the radio and slammed another rocket into the launcher. Swiftly, he targeted the zombies running at the dojo and fired. He was rewarded with seven zombies vanishing, but they were quickly replaced by others now focused on him. In a flash, they were climbing the walls of the house he was hidden on. "Crap! Time to leave." He heard Wales and Banner firing again as he turned to grab a zip line he had set up earlier. Speedily, he rode it off the roof and over the house's property wall. Once he was on the ground, he cut the wire and ran down the street.

About six houses down, a ten men mercenary squad poured onto the street from one of the houses. They were armed with a mixture of flame throwers and machine guns. "Down!" one of the mercs yelled. Othan hit the dust as the mercenaries fired their guns. The zombies were thrown backward by the impacts. Then three of the men leapt over Othan and maneuvered so they were upwind of the downed zombies. They fired their flamethrowers which threw short wide bursts instead of streaming fire, acting more like blowtorches. Three zombies went up in flames. Othan turned and watched them burn for a moment. "That's the new mix?" he asked. One of the mercs nodded. "Good, we need to get back there then…"

* * *

Wales saw Banner grab his zip line and slide down out of view. He held his position a little longer though – none of the zombies were oriented on him yet. Instead, he loaded another rocket into the launcher. "Come on, bitch," he muttered. "Show yourself."

"Gladly!" a voice sounded from behind him. Wales spun to see Henna standing there wearing an Amazon robe, too close to fire on. "Make this easy on yourself," she told him. "One way or another, I'm going to know everything you know." She launched herself at him and punched him in the stomach. Despite the body armor he was wearing, Wales felt a cold sinking feeling in his gut as Henna began to drain his life force. He attempted to club Henna with the launcher, but she dodged easily. "You're way too slow," she taunted as the cold spread further in his gut. "And getting slower. Surrender!" she commanded.

Wales was about to throw down the launcher and reach for his gun when he realized he was definitely out of his league. "This is how the others failed," he thought. "She can probably dodge the bullets. I need to do something unexpected. Tofu, I hope you were right…" Grimly, he pulled the trigger on the launcher instead. The rocket slammed through the roof and detonated inside the house…

* * *

Henna landed upright on the street where the explosion had tossed her. Her ears were ringing from the explosion. The house the mercenary had been standing on was raining down around her. Of his body, there was no sign. "Damn! He was determined. I'll give him that!" she thought. She quickly took stock of her forces. Her zombies were not finding anyone to convert in the surrounding houses. "They were expecting me," she decided. "They evacuated the neighborhood. I need to move quickly, before the follow-up counterstrike occurs. The Sprite is to the south, but they are expecting me to pursue her. I need more troops, so I'm going north to the next neighborhood!" With that, she made a few quick gestures to issue her commands to her forces.

* * *

Shampoo woke with trepidation. Today was the day she was to meet Akane - and her Fate. "I deserve this," she thought. "I nearly killed Mousse and almost sent him to Hell. I betrayed Grandmother. It's time."

But something was wrong. The feeling in her gut was not the normal unease before a battle. She sensed a different kind of dread growing inside. She leapt from the bed and ran to a mirror in the hotel bathroom. She stared at the mirror in horror – her face was completely black. "NO!" she gasped. "It's come! I have to find Akane now!" Throwing on some clothes, she ran out of her room and the hotel, leaping from rooftop to rooftop toward Nerima – and Akane.

* * *

On the other side of town, Ranma and Akane ran out of their own hotel. "I've got to get to the dojo!" Akane exclaimed.

"But she's moved on!" Ranma pointed out.

"I know, but maybe I can follow her trail!" Akane exclaimed.

"All right! Let's go!"

Akane looked at the sky and its roiling and tumbling clouds. "Shouldn't you do something about the Storm?" she asked. Ranma hesitated, so Akane added: "If you don't, people will start dying!"

"But Henna is already killing people!"

"So, I'll take care of her – you have to take care of the Storm!" she insisted as the wind whipped her hair. "This is it, Ranma of Nerima. This is what we've been training for!" Ranma hesitated further until a bolt of lightning shot across the sky. Akane looked up anxiously and said: "Ranma! It's starting! It won't stop until it's wiped the area clean! You know that!"

Ranma dropped his head and stated in a low voice: "You have to survive…"

Akane looked at him and her eyes softened. Then she kissed him. "I will…" she said softly. "Go!"

Ranma drew in a deep breath. Then he lifted and nodded his head. He grabbed and hugged Akane fiercely, handed her his sword, and then turned without another word and ran toward Nerima Tower.

* * *

"She's not coming our way! She's going for reinforcements!" Tofo Ono's voice sounded out from the radio. "We need to attack!"

Shiran looked troubled. Yul asked: "What do we do?"

"We stay put," Shiran said. "Our brother has his mercenaries. We have to guard this set of streets. Otherwise, Henna may outflank us. We have to keep her away from the families in the high school. We have to trust that everyone will do their part. But we can pull our people away from the Unyru farm house and have them come here. This is where the battle will be!"

* * *

Henna saw the troops pouring in from the west and mercenaries attacking from the east through her Viewing Sphere. Many were armed with flamethrowers. "And all probably filled with Blessed Fire," she thought. She stood Cloaked on the roof of a three story house. "This isn't going well at all. I have about ninety zombies left. I need more troops! Where the hell is everybody?! They couldn't have evacuated the city! Somewhere there are people!"

Henna heard the copters then. "Perfect. Just perfect," she thought sarcastically. "How are they flying in this wind?" She muttered a curse. "Fine. You want a fight? You got one! I can't raise a fog with all this wind, so let's raise something else!" She lifted both arms and darkness spilled from her hands and flowed into the streets, ignoring the wind.

* * *

Sergeant Jiro Kojima watched the wall of blackness flow against the wind and toward him and his squad of mercenaries. "Fire into it – with the wind!" he ordered his squad. His men fired their flamethrowers at the advancing darkness. It did not stop the advance, but the flames did illuminate some of their immediate surroundings. Kojima looked at the results and thought fast as the blackness surrounded his men like a thick fog, drowning out the light. They could barely see five meters in front of them. The sergeant pushed down the shiver that ran up his spine. "All right!" he shouted. "Everyone! Come to me! Follow my voice!" His men crowded around him. "Face out and make a circle quickly! We're going to make a circle of fire!"

Suddenly, he heard a scream from one of his men.

"Do it now!" Kojima ordered. One man fired his flamethrower, nearly burning one of his fellows. Kojima brought his own weapon and fired a quick spurt away from his men. In the flare, he saw three zombies closing in on his squad. He managed to set fire to two of them, but the wind caused him to miss the third…

* * *

Tofu raised his hands against the darkness. Light shown from them illuminating the squad he was embedded with. The only person from his original team with him was Daran. The rest of his team was scattered attending to various assignments. "Form a circle!" he ordered the squad. He concentrated further and expanded the circle of light. His mage senses picked up cold zones coming in from two directions. "They're coming in fast! Get ready!" he exclaimed. The mercenary squad had been instructed to follow his commands to the letter, and they did so, even if they couldn't see the enemy yet. "Coming in a 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock! Fire straight out! Remember: the flame throwers have been modified. Don't try and arc the flames!"

His men did that and the flamethrowers shot their wide but short bursts of flame. The fire caught four of the zombies running in. Two other zombies were missed and closed in on one of the men. "NO! Not today!" Tofu yelled as he launched a concussive blast with his staff against the two. They were knocked back from the man, who brought his flame thrower to bear on them. The zombies lit up like torches.

* * *

Henna jumped behind a ninja and seized him. She quickly drained all the water out of his body completely within five seconds – and she drained his knowledge as well. "Not as useful as he could have been," she mused as the new zombie stood up and left to join the battle. "I already know Toshio Kuno was organizing the ninjas," she thought while hunting her next victim. "But now I know they're trying to force me north away from everyone. They've anticipated me trying to convert the populous, so I need to focus on the forces at hand. The Home Guard forces are most likely to be my easiest victims with the wind being against them…"

* * *

Jacobs swore.

"What's wrong?" Banner asked him.

"We haven't seen an enemy in ten minutes," Jacobs answered.

"Maybe she's running further north?" Banner said, but his voice was colored with doubt.

"Yeah, you don't believe that either," Jacobs retorted. He pulled out his radio. "Ono?" he called into it. "We got a problem."

The radio crackled. "You're not finding anyone either?"

"Bingo. Can you do something about the darkness?"

"I'm doing what I can – which isn't much. She's a bit better at this than I am."

"I hear you. What do we do?"

Jacobs heard Ono sigh into the radio. "We're out of position. Fall back to the south. I don't like this. I want the mercs to re-group," Ono ordered. "We also need to touch base with the Home Guard."

"Roger."

* * *

Toshio watched the beacons on the large screen in his war room. "Ono's falling back," he noted to Marcus.

The mage, Marcus, nodded and said: "Henna's not engaging him. She's up to something."

One of his radio men turned to him. "Sasuke just called in. He just found Yamada's clothing. Yamada's been compromised."

"That's it," Toshio said grimly. "Henna knows the north is empty. She's going to break out in any other direction. Warn Ono, Shiran, and Colonel Kimura. Have the ninjas start moving south to cover the mercs and the Home Guard – carefully."

* * *

Henna watched a squad of Home Guard men run along the street below her. "Clever," she admitted grudgingly. "The flamethrowers have been modified to deal with the wind. Still, there's only so much you can do against a head-on wind, and the Storm is only getting worse. A little strategy should also work in my favor…" She leaped down after the squad to drain them.

* * *

Colonel Kimura acknowledged his radio man and felt the dread growing in him as he watched the blackness around him. His fist was clenched tight on his gun. The witch had figured out the trap and vanished – not good. He looked at the mage embedded with his two squads. "Where is she?" the colonel demanded.

"I can't find her," the mage told him. "She's Cloaking."

"Can you find her zombies anywhere?"

"They show up only as cold spots, and they have to be close – too close – for me to sense them," the mage answered. "But I got nothing…"

There was a choking sound behind them. Both men turned to see a soldier open his mouth in silent pain. Before their eyes, the soldier's face writhed, wrinkled, and dried out. There was the sound of bones snapping and his form shrank, losing a quarter of his height. He collapsed on the ground and laid there.

"BACK UP!" the mage yelled.

"What happened?" Kimura demanded.

"He was tagged by a zombie!" the mage said.

"Where's the zombie!"

"I don't know!"

There was a shriek behind them. "Morgano!" another man called out. The mage and the colonel spun and looked at the man who had shouted. "Morgano just vanished! He was standing just there and he disappeared!" the man explained.

"Everyone! Light up the area with your flame throwers…" the mage started and then choked off. The dead man, now zombie, had him by the throat. In the confusion, the former soldier had gotten up and attacked the mage with deadly precision. The mage's face began to shrink back on its skull.

"Fire!" screamed the colonel. His men scrambled to get their backs to the wind so they could bring their flamethrowers to bear on the situation. Meanwhile, a zombie climbed out of a storm drain – from where he had attacked the now zombiefied soldier by grabbing the doomed man by the ankle.

"They're in the storm drains!" the colonel shouted out. This confused his men long enough for the mage to fall to the ground. "Fire!" repeated the colonel. One of his men obeyed, bathing the former mage and former soldier in Sacred Fire. The zombie and the dead man flared up and the zombie fell to the ground.

But the zombie from the storm drain closed on another soldier and began to drain him. One compatriot foolishly tried to pull the zombie off and screamed as he too began to drain away. Another man tried to slam the zombie in the head with his rifle butt, but the blows had no effect. A fourth man tried to break the grip of the second man but couldn't – the second man's bones began to break from drying out.

"Get back!" ordered the colonel, but his men ignored him and continued to try and aid their fellows. They also missed the other zombies closing in on the squads.

* * *

Tofu heard the gun fire and panic over the radio. "She's attacking the army!" he called out to his men. "We need to get over there! Advance using alternate formation! Use spurts to light the street! Don't outrun the light. Go!"

His men began advancing by breaking into pairs, one machine gunner, and one flamethrower. The flamethrower man would light the street after turning his back to the wind and aiming somewhat upwards. Then another pair would run forward while the first gunner covered them. The second pair would light further in front of them so a third pair could run further up. The five pairs kept circling through, allowing the men to progress. Tofu always kept up with the lead pair, scanning the darkness ahead for any sign of the enemy.

"Down to a quarter tank of fuel," Daran warned him after ten minutes of this. "And the wind is getting worse. We won't be able to keep this up."

"Let me know when you're at an eighth. Then we have to reconsider. But we must be getting closer – the Darkness is getting thicker!"

* * *

Henna watched as her zombies attacked another squad of the Home Guard. "Yes! Not one zombie lost this time, and another ten more added to my army." She opened her mind and checked on other groups, seeing similar successes. "Soon I'll have enough to simply take the remnants of the Home Guard. Excellent!"

She conjured a Viewing Sphere and quickly located the mercenary forces and the ninjas trying to rush to the aid of the army. "The wind is with them, but the darkness is slowing them down," she thought. "Still, I could be in trouble if I attack them, which is what they will be expecting. That's not why I'm here either. The Sprite is to the South. I need to get to Her. Once I have her, I can just abandon my forces and escape…"

* * *

"Ono!" Jacobs called out in the darkness.

"Over here!" Ono replied. Jacobs' squad joined Ono's men.

"We should have found the Home Guard by now," Jacobs said in a low voice. "They were told to advance to the southeast."

"We go forward, but slowly," Tofu ordered. "I'm not running into a trap."

The men moved tensely forward at a snail's pace, maintaining small bursts of fire against the blackness. Several minutes passed when they heard the sounds of boots running somewhere in the murkiness. "Who goes there?!" Tofu called out.

"Help us! For gods' sake help us!" came the reply.

The two squads braced themselves. Tofu used magic to cast an arc of fire five meters forward. "Over here!" he yelled.

Five men of the Home Guard ran around the fire into view. "We lost our squads!" one man yelled out. "The zombies are right behind us! Help us!"

Tofu sent his mind out beyond the incoming men. "There's no one there!" he shouted as the men ran toward him. One of his men raised his flamethrower in a warding gesture and the running men stopped.

"The zombies took our buddies! They're coming! Help us!" one man repeated.

"You couldn't out run the zombies. They're not after you. You've been let go," Jacobs told them.

"Something stinks," Tofu stated.

"We're being tricked," Daran agreed.

"She outflanked us," Tofu declared. "She's after the families, but she's got to go through the Kitsunes first! Call Shiran!"

* * *

Ranma ran inside the Nerima Tower, the tallest building in the ward. He found the stairs and effortlessly bounded up a flight at a time with a single leap. As he went, he felt the Storm above him bearing down like an oppressive weight. The wind was starting to hammer on the Tower and light was fading, masked by the shadows cast by the Storm. Ranma burst out onto the Observation Deck and almost lost the door to the wind. He managed to close it and turned to face his task. He was surrounded by fog and clouds whipping wildly across the Observation Deck, thick enough that he couldn't see the fence surrounding the deck. There was no rain at all and the deck was not even wet, as if the Storm was stingy with its moisture. The fog might as well have been made of dust, for there was no condensation on Ranma's clothes. If it wasn't for Ranma's Wind Magic, the wind would have been strong enough to hurl Ranma off the building though. Thunder echoed and lightning flashed nearby.

Ranma looked around wildly and swallowed hard. As expected, there was no enemy here he could fight with his fists. The Storm was a phenomenon designed to free the Sprite by killing her capturer (and probably the Sprite), and if it happened to wipe Nerima off the map in the process, so be it. It was a mindless Thing that Ranma had to defend Nerima against. Above him, Ranma could feel the Power building. "It's now or never," he thought as he summoned his determination. With that, he began to sing:

 _"Oh the wind can carry  
_ _All the voices of the sea  
_ _Oh the wind can carry  
_ _All the echoes home to me_

 _Run with wind and weather  
_ _To the music of the sea  
_ _All four winds together  
_ _Can bring the world to me  
_ _Chase the wind around the world  
_ _I want to look at life unfurled."_

Once more, a wind swirled about Ranma and the web of the Nexus revealed itself, its glowing lines making itself visible despite the intervening concrete of the building and the mist and clouds. The web of light incorporated Ranma and stretched to encompass the entire Ward of Nerima. Ranma paused momentarily when he saw the vastness of the Nexus he had to defend, but Ranma felt the first gathering of Power directly above him.

 _"You can do it,"_ Rera urged. _"I'll be with you. Don't strike back and don't try to absorb it – just reflect it!"_

"How am I suppose to reflect a lightning bolt?!" Ranma demanded.

 _"It's not actually a lightning bolt…it's more like a fire bolt,"_ Rera explained hurriedly.

"Oh, that's so much better."

 _"It's a blast of pure Magic."_

"A *big* blast of pure magic," Ranma pointed out.

Suddenly, Ranma felt the forerunners of the first attack leave the Storm and focus on its target – Ranma Ono. Ranma raised his bronze bound wooden staff in a blocking motion and the bolt of energy struck the staff squarely. All of Ranma's mage training came into play as he forced the staff to reflect the bolt back into the Storm with an upward thrust. When the attack ended, Ranma's staff was whole and unbroken. Cloud-to-cloud lightning fired across the sky.

 _"Told ya!"_ Rera crowed triumphantly.

"That was only the first one! I can feel another one coming – and it's not aimed at me this time!" Ranma shot back as he recharged his staff.

 _"You know what to do – You have to call the attack to you! Do it!"_ Rera pushed.

Ranma's mind slid at high speed along the threads of the Nexus tracing the attack reaching out from the Storm. He found the mind of the next target – a young mother holding her baby in her apartment about a kilometer from him. Ranma intercepted the targeting tracer of magic and he pulled the attack back along the Nexus so the Storm would focus on him. Once more, a blast of Magic struck Ranma's staff and was reflected back into the Storm. Again, cloud-to-cloud lightning fired across the sky.

 _"See! You can do this!"_ Rera coached.

"Sooner or later, I'm going to run out of Chi!" Ranma retorted.

 _"Open yourself up to the Nexus! You're more than a man. You know what it is to be a woman, a cat, a fox, a pig, a horse, a bird, and a fish – all aspects of Life. Let Life flow through you!"_

Ranma did as he was told and the life force of Nerima poured through him, filling him with an awesome power. It would have been so easy to get lost to it, but with all the shape-shifting and sharing Ranma had done, one fact stuck with Ranma: he was always Himself, first and foremost. He focused on the Storm and looked for its next target. Finding it, Ranma's awareness slid into the mind of a salary-man sitting in his office staring at the sky. For a second time, Ranma called the trace away from the potential victim and drew the attack back to himself successfully. Ranma staggered as he threw the blast back into the Storm, but he stayed on his feet.

"The Storm is bigger than the Nexus," Ranma huffed breathlessly. "Much bigger – and angrier."

Ranma could feel Rera smiling grimly as more energy somehow flowed into Ranma. _"But, you've got me, Ranma. I'm the Wind King, and you're my avatar. Between you, me, and the Nexus, we can stall the Storm."_

"For how long?"

 _"Long enough for Akane to find Henna,"_ Rera answered.

"And then?"

 _"And then this ends once and for all, Ranma."_

* * *

A/N: Next up - The Kitsunes


	14. The Kitsunes

Chapter 14: The Kitsunes

Shiran stood in Nerima market place and looked up at the Storm swirling high above him. He could feel the Power from the Nexus responding to it. "Come on, Ranma!" he thought urgently. "Deal with this thing before it fries us all." He looked out beyond his barricade and saw nothing yet. Then his radio burst out with Jacobs' warning: "Shiran! She's coming from the West!"

The Kitsune elder unhooked the radio from his belt. "What?! What happened to the Home Guard?!" he barked back.

"Routed," Jacobs told him bluntly. "Then she outflanked us!"

Shiran ground his teeth for a moment in indecision. Then he sprinted from the northern barricades and ran across the square to the western side. "Any sign?" he called out as he ran up."

"Nothing yet," one of the Kitsunes answered back. The fox was in human form, dressed in a white gi with a black belt at his waist.

Shiran spoke into the radio. "Are you sure? There's no sign yet. Maybe she's trying to swing around us to and get to the high school. Should we hold tight or try and intercept her?"

He heard murmuring through the radio and then Tofu's voice came on: "Brother? Stay put. The Home Guard reserves are in the area around the high school. They'll give you time to get there if she tries to go around you, but I don't think she will – she needs to maintain contact with the enemy to figure out where we are. She's going to test you if nothing else."

Shiran had stopped listening though. Instead, he was watching beyond the barricades as darkness entered an intersection a couple blocks down from the north. "Shiran?" Tofu voice came from the radio. "Do you copy?"

The fox lord pressed the talk button. "I hear you. She's here. Get your ass down here now. Out!"

Shiran watched the approaching blackness under the sullen sky. Around him, his fellow Kitsunes started murmuring. Shiran turned to them. "Remember, if we lose Nerima, we lose Earth. Don't touch the zombies. Fight as hard as you can, but don't add to their number!"

* * *

Henna now had hundreds of zombies at her disposal. Better yet she had faked out the mercenary squads and found scores of people manning barricades in front of her. "So, these are Nerima's famed Martial Artists," she thought. "Fools! As soon as they lay a hand on one of my zombies, they are done!"

With a gesture, she sent her darkness forward. She met resistance and paused only a moment as she brushed aside her opponents' magic. Her spell continued forward, but then stopped at the enemy's first barricade. Incredibly, it started to reverse!

"I am a servant of the Sacred Fire, Queen of the Damned," a voice growled out. "Your Darkness ends now!" Motes of fire filled the air, consuming Henna's spell. With a shattering sound, the blackness dropped from the air, revealing Henna and her troops to the defenders. "Fire!" the growling voice cried.

Blasts of energy cut into several zombies, blowing them to pieces in front of an astonished Henna. "Attack!" Henna cried to her troops. "Attack and bring me the head of the loudmouth mage!"

Henna's zombies streamed forward as more blasts of energy tore into them, but there were too many zombies. Henna's troops gained the barricade like the tide and quickly overran it. However, the defenders refused to be swarmed over and fell back instead, allowing more of their fellows to join in the fight. Soon, half the market place was embroiled in combat. Henna climbed the barricade and stopped in amazement as the martial artists held their own against the onslaught. The defenders were careful not to touch Henna's zombies. Instead, they used staffs that seemed charged with a holy light. A touch of a staff didn't destroy a zombie, but it did seem to damage the zombie – at least a little. It also caused the zombie to moan – enough so that the square was soon filled with the sound. The Martial Artists fought like whirling dervishes, ever careful to keep their staffs between themselves and the zombies.

"What devilment is this?!" Henna snarled as she leaped from the barricade and struck one man from behind in the kidney. The victim fell to the ground and rolled to face her. His face briefly flashed fear, but filled with defiance as he launched a kick at her from the ground. She contemptuously caught the blow and began to drain her victim. The man shrieked and then vanished with a pop!

"What the hell?!" Henna burst out. Her warning sense went off then and she dodged a staff blow from behind. She turned to face the same man, who was bleeding from his nose for some reason. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"Feck off, witch queen!" the man snarled while swinging the staff at her head.

She caught the staff effortlessly and then choked down a scream as the weapon stung her hands. Ignoring the pain, she ripped the staff from the man's grip and threw it away. The man vanished with another pop! He reappeared where the staff landed and snatched up his weapon again. Then he vanished once more. "They're not human!" she thought quickly. She scanned the battlefield. Her troops were not losing, but they were not winning either. "This is too much of an even match," she thought. "If I don't break the impasse soon, the mercs and their flame throwers will get here." She quickly raised her hands to block another staff blow – her opponent had popped back into the battle. Henna considered the man – or whatever he was. "The draining hurts him," she observed. "Let's up it." Henna began to engage him forcefully, ignoring the pain the staff inflicted every time she touched it. As they fought, the man seemed to be tiring quickly. The bleeding from his nose also grew more profuse and bruises appeared on his hands and face. Finally, Henna landed an exceptional strike, and the man fell to the ground, only to vanish – staff and all.

She waited for him to return, but was disappointed. "I didn't get his soul. He got away cleanly. How is that possible? Did he have a soul?" she wondered. She was snapped out of her reverie when she heard a whooshing sound toward the center of the market place and felt three zombies pass away. Looking in that direction, she saw what could only be mages creating Sacred Fire. "NO! I have to stop that!" she thought as she rushed toward the mages to get within striking range.

"It's Henna!" someone near her cried. "Get her!" Henna quickly found herself surrounded by several martial artists, but she was done testing her opponents. She pulled out a short sword and shattered one woman's staff. On the upswing, she plunged the sword into the woman's stomach and reached for the woman's soul. Just as Henna began to draw the soul to her, the woman vanished, taking her soul with her.

"You cheats!" Henna shrieked as she slashed into a man's side. "You're protected somehow. I'll kill you all anyway!"

Henna laid about with her sword slashing through her enemies. Soon the area about her was clear, but she was frustrated. Despite the blood on her sword, she hadn't been able to gain any energy. Anytime her foes received a death blow, they vanished. Grimly, she focused on the mages killing her zombies and ran toward them again. Once in range, she unleashed a disruption spell to kill them, but it was deflected by a second blast!

* * *

Shiran saw Henna cutting her way through the crowd and moved to intercept her. Just as she was throwing a spell at his mages, he launched his own bolt that just managed to deflect hers. "Damn," he groaned inwardly. "She's much stronger that I thought." Out loud, he shouted: "Henna! Crawl back into your hole and die!" The witch turned to face him with rage pouring from her being. She raised her fist and threw another disruption bolt that screamed toward him.

"Looks like I have her attention now," he thought sardonically as he raised a Shield. The force of the blow knocked him backwards. Henna immediately launched a third blast while he was reeling, but he rolled out of the way and counter-attacked with a bolt of fire. Henna snapped her fingers contemptuously and a jet of water snuffed out the fire.

"I wiped out the Council, little mage," Henna snarled at Shiran as she closed the distance between them. "What makes you think you can stand against me?"

"I just have to distract you," Shiran explained hurriedly as he scrambled up. "Every second you spend with me is another zombie you don't have."

"I'll turn you instead!" she shouted while diving at him. He promptly vanished. "Hellfire!" she screamed. Then her attack sense went off and she spun to block another bolt of fire. Shiran now stood ten meters away.

"Oops," he said. "Another two zombies just went up in smoke," he taunted. "And Lady Akane is on her way with Lady Akari." Henna started at the women's names. "Oh, and my brother and his mercenaries are almost here with their flame throwers." He threw a flame blast at her. She was so distracted by his words that she almost didn't quench the spell. "And there's another four zombies gone."

Henna detonated. The blast wave rolled out of her, sweeping away friends and foes alike within ten meters. Shiran was the only one left and he was thrown to the ground stunned. Henna stalked over to him and grabbed him by his gi with one hand. "I can always make more zombies," she said coldly raising her sword in her other hand. "You won't even get that chance."

Just as she swung the sword, a violent Chi blast caught her on the side of the head, knocking her away and sending the sword skittering across the pavement. Lord Jakaro stood over Shiran, facing Henna with an icy stare. The Kitsune Lord stood in human form but displayed all nine tails which lashed the air angrily. "You dare lay hands on my first disciple?" he thundered. "Now you face me!"

* * *

Henna stood up looking annoyed. "The Huli Jing," she said. "I'm fighting the Huli Jing. That's why I couldn't collect your souls. I was reaching for human souls, not spirits of the Huli Jing."

Fire burst around Jakaro's face. The fox lord took a deep breath and then blew the fire at Henna. She made a warding gesture and the flames parted around her. "But I know you now," Henna continued. "I can collect your spirits!"

"You can't collect my children," Jakaro shot back. "They weren't born here." Henna's eyes widened. "They were summoned by me. When they take too much damage, they are swept home like any other summoned creature. You can't touch them. They have nothing to lose in fighting you. Not even the ones you killed are truly dead."

Henna snorted. "Trust a Huli Jing to be devious." Then her eyes became calculating. "But you summoned them – you were born here!"

Jakaro gestured at Henna, motioning her toward him. "Come and get me, little worm," he challenged.

Henna made a small circle in the air with her finger and water rose from the ground around her. Then it beaded up to form a tube of water encircling her feet. "Done, fool." With that, she raised her hand and the water shot forward like a snake to strike at Jakaro.

Fire flowed over the Fox Lord's form and exploded in all directions, blowing the water snake apart. "I am a servant of Inari," Jakaro said contemptuously. "Did you really think I came unprepared for you? Know this! No matter how our battle goes, I am your Doom."

Henna laughed scornfully. "You? I've killed and absorbed much more powerful creatures than you!" she told him while flicking a chi blast at him.

Jakaro's shape melted out of the way of the bolt and then reformed again. "The Council demons were fools," he stated coldly. Henna gave a start at her opponent's knowledge. "The only one they deceived was you! And for five hundred years at that!" He opened his hands toward her and electricity crackled over them. Then the charge leaped through the air at Henna.

Following her raised hand, a column of water rose in front of her and Jakaro's power ground out in the water, draining away. Henna then ran forward to engage the Kitsune one-on-one, but Jakaro just flowed away from her once more. When he solidified, he launched a wave of darkness at Henna with a shove of his hands. She blocked the darkness by swinging her arm in a circle, creating an arc of light that rolled the darkness back on itself until it vanished. Then Henna thrust her palm outwards and responded with a poisonous mist that poured into the air from her hand. Jakaro burned the mist out of the air by blowing another gust of fire at Henna. Henna drew her arm back and threw a sizzling lightning bolt at him, but he reflected it back at her with a snap of his fingers. Henna had to hastily block the rebound with her other hand. He conjured a swarm of armored wasps which materialized from the very air and attacked Henna. Each of the wasps was as big as Henna's thumb - now it was her turn to use fire to burn them to the ground. Once the wasps were dealt with, Henna produced a cloud of acid and sent it against Jakaro, but he swept it away with a gesture, setting it on some nearby zombies. Next, the Kitsune clapped his hands and the ground opened up under Henna, but she danced away from the crevice. Henna waved her hand and a magic circle appeared in the air. A lust demon roared out of it at Jakaro. The Fox Lord didn't miss a beat as he banished it by spinning a second Circle in the air that sucked the demon into it. Henna then had to dodge a Chi blast that ripped through the air - she wasn't about to try and absorb it.

The two mages continued to exchange spell and counter spell at the limits of their power and imaginations. Henna had one advantage though – and she used it: Jakaro had to dodge Henna's zombies as well as Henna's magic, forcing him to teleport constantly. As the battle went on, it became obvious that the Kitsune Lord was having a tougher time because of them. Shiran was still stunned on the sidelines and would have fallen to the zombies except that Yul, his fellow disciple, had appeared and was defending his brother against the horde. "Shiran!" Yul urged. "Get up! We have to help the Master!"

"Stay out of this!" Jakaro commanded. He made a flicking gesture and two zombies flew back away from Yul and Shiran. "Yul! Get your brother out of here! Find Tofu have him heal Shiran! Do it quickly!"

But, Henna's zombies struck Jakaro while he was distracted and grabbed the Kitsune. "No!" Jakaro shouted and, like Henna had done with Shiran, he detonated, launching the zombies back away from him, blowing them to pieces. Unfortunately, Jakaro stumbled and fell as Henna threw a disruption spell at him that he failed to parry in the uproar.

Henna ran forward toward her downed opponent. "You're mine, little fox!" she shouted. However, as she reached to grab him, Jakaro rolled over, pulled a dagger from his gi, and shoved it into Henna's chest. Foxfire crackled along the blade. Henna staggered for a moment and then grasped Jakaro's head. She squeezed his head, drawing on his spirit, while Jakaro shoved the dagger deeper into her chest. Slowly, Jakaro began to twist the dagger. Henna gasped but instead of dropping, energy began to glow between her hands and she reached deeper into the Kitsune Lord's spirit. Both of them were shaking with the effort.

Jakaro began to bleed from his ears and eyes. Defiantly he gasped: "I…am…your…Doom." Then he collapsed and his body lay still.

Henna carefully reached up and drew the dagger from her chest while panting heavily, healing herself as she withdrew the weapon. Finally, after several minutes, she sighed and threw the dagger on the ground. "Almost, little fox. Almost." As she watched, a wind arose counter to the Storm's gusts and blew over the corpse. The body faded and vanished. "No zombie for you," she said. "Fair enough – I got you in the end anyway."

She looked around and saw that the defenders had also vanished to the man. The market place was empty except for her zombies. Even the fox's disciples were gone. "All of them summoned. Every single one of them," she mused tiredly. "Very good…very good indeed… but now it's just me against the mortals – and I know how that ends!"

* * *

Shampoo ran through the streets toward Akane when she saw the first check point managed by the Japanese army straight ahead. "No!" she thought urgently. "I don't have time for this!" Truth be known, she didn't know how much time she had left. She didn't feel anything but the dread in her stomach. No fire, no burning sensation... yet. "Gods, I need to Cloak and take to the rooftops." She leaped upwards and landed on the nearest roof.

"Hey, you!" one of the checkpoint soldiers called out. "Get down!" Shampoo vanished instead. "There's hostile forces to the north. Don't go there!" the man pleaded in desperation. "Please!" When Shampoo didn't answer him back, the soldier added: "Don't add to their number!"

"I'm already damned," Shampoo reflected as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop. She stopped as she considered that for a moment. Down in the streets below her, soldiers were taking up defensive positions against an unknown hostile force, not seeing Shampoo at all.

A voice called out behind her: "Go away, Shampoo."

She turned to see Mousse behind her. She was so startled that she broke her Cloak. Mousse did a double take as he saw her face. "What the hell happened to you?!" he asked harshly.

Shampoo was stunned that he did not know. Surely, out of all the people on the planet, he deserved to know her fate. "The Elders cursed me for what I did to you," she said succinctly in her home tongue.

His face became annoyed. "I didn't ask them to. I survived. I was just happy you left me alone," he said in Japanese. "I didn't even care that they threw you out of the village," he added dismissively with a shrug. "I just wanted to move on. Now I want you to move on."

"Are you all right now?" she asked.

He shrugged again. "Mostly. I get better with every passing day. I have a home now - with my second family. They've cared for me and help me get better."

Shampoo sighed. "I'm glad," she said simply. Again, Mousse shrugged his shoulders a third time, confusing Shampoo. There was no hatred on Mousse's face (as there should be), nor any adoration (as there use to be). She was at a loss to his total indifference. He just stood there waiting for her to do something. "What do you want?" she asked him.

"I want you to go away," he said again. "We are in the fight of our lives here. We don't have time for you. Henna's attacking with her zombies." He pointed at the angry clouds. "And the Storm is here. The World hangs on the brink of Chaos. One slip, and Nerima dies – and with it the World."

"Zombies? What?" she asked with more confusion. Then she rallied. "I'm also dying," she protested.

Mousse looked completely exasperated. "Of course you are. You're cursed and dying and you want us to save you. Meanwhile, countless innocents are going to die in your place because we were distracted by you. Did Henna send you? Are you her pawn?"

Shampoo's mouth dropped open. Mousse rolled his eyes and half raised his open hands. "Gods," he muttered as he dropped his hands. Then he straightened up. "Here's a news flash: whatever she told you was a lie. Whatever salvation you think is here, isn't. Henna has never been your friend in the Village, and now you trust her? You're so easy to manipulate – worse than I ever was. She sent you here to distract Ranma and Akane at a crucial time so they'd fail. Well that time is now! And now you're on your way to find them, aren't you?"

"Just Akane…" Shampoo said in a small voice.

Mousse threw his hands into the air. "Perfect," he said in vexation. He took a deep breath and said: "Go away. Just head south from here and keep going. For once in your life, do the right thing."

"You hate me, don't you?" she asked in the same small voice.

Mousse sighed. "Again, everything is about you, isn't it? Another news flash: I don't care anymore. You burned that out of me when you slammed that knife into my guts." Shampoo's eyes looked stricken on her black face. "I don't feel anything for you anymore. No love, no hate, not even anger. You're just another person on the globe. Well, the street is full of them, and, if Ranma and Akane don't help them, they're going to die. Are you going to let those people die, or are you going to leave Akane alone?"

"You don't understand!" she burst out.

"Yeah, I do," he disagreed. "You made a deal with the devil and you're trying to avoid the price. But I can't let you do that. I can't let you send anyone else to Hell." He made a gesture and a staff appeared in his hands, banded at both ends with bronze. The weapon seemed to be vibrating. Bracers on his wrists began glowing brightly. "My Sight is amp'ed up with the Storm. I can See through any Cloak. That's how I knew you were here. There's no hiding from me, Shampoo. Not today."

Mousse could see the contempt grow in Shampoo's eyes. "Stupid duck no match for me," Shampoo said scornfully. With that, she threw a thermos of water at Mousse, prepared for just such an emergency. But the water hit Mousse as he dodged the thermos and the water just ran down his front to be absorbed by his robe.

"Sorry, Shampoo. It's not that easy anymore," Mousse said. "Last chance: just go away."

Shampoo took out her sword and leaped at Mousse. He countered with his staff. To Shampoo's surprise, the staff rang like steel and did not break under the blow. It finally dawned on Shampoo that it really wasn't that easy anymore…

* * *

A/N: Next up: Battle at Furinkan


	15. Battle at Furinkan

Chapter 15: Battle at Furinkan

Akane slugged the demon in the jaw with a flaming fist and then kicked the thing in the groin. It went down just like a human would. When it tried to get up, she sliced through its neck with Ranma's sword – something he had given her as they parted. Then she leapt up into the air away from the monstrosity, leaving the body to burst into flames. "Three down, one to go," she thought. But the fourth one wasn't having any part of it – it vanished in a circle of fire as Akane closed in on it.

"They are cowards," Akane reflected. "Show them greater strength, and they run. Hopefully that means that any others Henna summoned will quit too." Akane was trying to make her way west toward the dojo, but she found herself dodging Henna's people.

"There she is!" a voice burst out. Another group of assassins had found her.

Akane groaned and cast a Cloak on herself. She also used Shiran's lessons to hide her heat signature from the assassins' infrared goggles. Fortunately, the assassins weren't all that bright. It never seemed to occur to them that Akane would fight back. She was also much faster than they were. Unfortunately, they were slowing her pursuit of Henna – which was probably the whole point. "But I can't let them sneak up on me," she thought. "I need to put them down."

Finally, after the squad had been taken care of, she continued on to the dojo. However, as she closed in on home, she recognized that the fighting had left the area. "Where are they?" she wondered as she stopped five houses short.

 _"AKANE! Three closing in behind you!"_ Apay shouted in Akane's mind.

Akane didn't bother looking – she leaped across the street first. Then she turned to see the zombies scrambling after her. Akane looked at them and shouted the words for calling Sacred Fire. The three burst into flames. Uttering the powerful spell didn't drain Akane at all anymore. "I'm tied into Ranma and Ranma's tied into the Nexus," she thought. "I still have to find everyone though."

 _"Apay? Has Henna reached Suma and Ryoga yet?"_ she asked her inner companion.

 _"Not yet,"_ Apay answered. "He thinks she's on her way though."

 _"All right, that gives me a direction – she's on her way to Furinkan High. But that's a staging ground for the Home Guard reserves. She's going to have to go through them first,"_ Akane replied.

 _"We need to get there!"_

 _"Going, going, gone…"_ Akane agreed as she started roof-hopping.

* * *

Ranma stood atop of the Nerima tower wrapped in fire and lightning, a storm god for any with the Sight to see. And he was a storm god in trouble. Despite everything he was mortal, and so were the lives he was defending. The Storm was a 900 year old creation of the world's pain and even the hundreds of thousands of lives in the Ward were a drop in the bucket against that pain. Ranma reached deeper into the Nexus, feeling the Life in the plants and animals of the Ward. As he did, his shape shifted and he grew taller. He grew cat ears on his head and a tail appeared. His chest swelled as he developed breasts. Still, he reached deeper.

 _"Keep going,"_ Rera urged. Ranma felt more Power flow from his inner child too.

Ranma gritted his fangs and reached out to the Storm's next target.

* * *

Henna ate the herbs she had packed to bolster her strength. Despite the energy gained from the death of the Kitsune Lord, Jakaro must have done too much damage with his enchanted knife. Henna felt like she was running on half-a-tank. Her stomach was nauseated and her head hurt.

"I need civilians to drain," she thought. "But everywhere around me has been evacuated. I wish I could find where those families moved to. They're probably behind the battle lines though. The Sprite is due south – at least there will be more soldiers in that direction."

She looked at her zombies awaiting their commands and then stared at the sky. "The wind is more out of the northeast now than east. Let's see if I can nudge that a little further in my favor…"

* * *

Ryoga stood with Olaf and Akari on top of one of the fortification mounds that he and the other Earth mages had raised. All three were dressed in army fatigues. They watched the reserve troops man the fortifications around them.

Olaf looked at his radio grimly and said: "I've just lost touch with the last of the Kitsunes. Hopefully, they were able to reduce the number of zombies before they fell."

"Are the mercenaries on their way?" Akari asked.

"Yes, but they are on the other side of Henna," the disguised giant answered. Olaf was the only mercenary not with the main group. He had taken Maomolin's place as Akari's personal guardian.

"Where's Akane?" Akari asked Ryoga.

"She's at the dojo and heading this way," the Lost Boy replied. "She's been dealing with Henna's assassins.

"Once she catches up to Tofu's squad, he can help her," Olaf commented.

Ryoga nodded grimly. Then he turned to Akari. "Any insights?" he asked.

She shook her head. "It's as good a plan as any. We have to hold Henna's troops away from everyone in the school until Tofu and Akane catch up. Then we either crush her troops between us or…"

"Or?"

"Or we get overrun."

"Not happening," Ryoga said determinately.

"That's the spirit!" Olaf said approvingly. "Besides, we have the Nerima mages with us."

Akari added quietly: "Did you notice? There are Kitsunes showing up here too…even with…"

"Revenge is a powerful motivator," Olaf noted grimly. "I plan to get some of my own as well."

"Me too. I owe them for Maomolin," Ryoga added bleakly.

"He might have survived," Akari said wistfully. "He values his own skin a lot."

"He'd be here if he was alive," Ryoga stated. "He's not a coward anymore."

"No, he's not," Olaf agreed. "I wish he told us he was going to Aokigahara."

"You believe it was him then?" Akari asked, although there was a note of satisfaction in her voice.

"Something blew up half the forest," Olaf said. "And Henna was there. I think the Cat yanked her tail."

"When this is over, we're going looking for him," Ryoga avowed firmly.

"Agreed. One thing at a time," Olaf cautioned. His companions nodded and then fell silent.

They stood for a time until Olaf said: "She comes. She's casting a Darkness spell again. I can see it flowing down the street." He picked up his radio and called it to it: "Hideo! She's coming, and she's using Darkness."

"We're ready," the radio returned.

Meanwhile, Ryoga seemed to be concentrating.

"What are you going to do?" Akari asked him. "She'll absorb a chi blast."

"I'm trying to figure out how many zombies she's got," he told her while continuing to concentrate. "She can't hide them from me. Whenever they touch the Earth, I can feel them." After a moment, his eyes widened. "Or under it…" he whispered. Then he leapt to the bottom of the mound of earth.

"Ryoga!" Akari cried.

Ryoga struck the ground and yelled "BREAKING POINT!" The ground gave way and sunk in a line straight out in front of him, and down the street toward the darkness. He quickly ran ten meters to the other side of the street and repeated the process. Moaning began sounding from the depressions. "The zombies are in the sewers," he called back. "I have to block them!" He touched the ground again and a pit opened up in front of him. More moaning arose from the ground. Then Ryoga raised both arms and the earth seemed to roll, twisting and crushing in on itself within the pit and down the long depressions. The moaning cut off.

"Whoa!" Olaf said in a low voice. "When did he get that powerful?"

"It's the Nexus," Akari also said in a low urgent voice. "He's tied into Ranma and Ranma's tied into the Nexus."

Now Ryoga struck the ground again, but didn't yell out. A three meter wave rolled away from him through the ground. It flipped cars parked along the side of the street and caused street lights to topple over. The wave rolled into the darkness and there was the sound of more damage unseen. The darkness seemed to pause for a minute. Then it came: the wind began blowing out of the darkness.

Olaf and Akari scrambled down next to Ryoga. "She's going to use the wind to counteract the flame throwers. That's one of the things Maomolin warned about." Olaf said.

"Did he mention the darkness?" Akari asked.

"Yeah, but it wasn't a favorite – she prefers people to see her monstrosities," the giant answered.

"We could really use Ranma to deal with the wind right now," Ryoga muttered.

"He's busy," Akari commented as thunder rocked the sky. "It's up to us."

"Right," the Lost Boy said. With that, he gestured and threw a chi blast in front of the darkness. The blast threw up a wall of debris four meters high.

"Not a bad start," Olaf approved. "Let's see if I can add to it." With that, he took out a thermos and poured the contents on himself. Suddenly, there was a real giant in front of them, standing well over six meters. Olaf was dressed in heavy chain mail with large plates and holding a huge auto-cannon. A large two-handed sword was sticking out behind his back.

"Olaf! You mastered the shape change!" Akari called out delightedly. There were whistles of amazement from the soldiers on the mound behind them.

"Yes, I did," the giant boomed in a huge voice. "Ranma taught me. I learned well enough that I can even incorporate weapons."

In front of them, the darkness flowed over the top of the Ryoga's crater wall and move down to the base of the wall. The wind picked up further. Olaf raised his weapon. "Get ready to build another wall, lad," he said to Ryoga. "But let's see how many I can catch first."

As the darkness moved down the street again, Olaf raised the auto-cannon and fired at where the debris wall lay hidden in the dark mist. The detonations as the shells hit the wall sounded loud even above the wind. Shapes could be seen bursting into flames as the explosions caught them. Round after round shot out and struck the hidden zombies.

"They're falling back," Ryoga shouted to Olaf over the wind. Indeed, the darkness was retreating.

"How many are there?" Olaf demanded as he paused.

"Hundreds!" Ryoga told him. "You made a dent, but there are lots more."

"Close off the street again!" Olaf ordered. Ryoga used another chi blast to build another wall.

"What's she going to do?" Ryoga asked.

"Try and go around us – or rather Olaf," Akari answered for the giant. "She's going to break into multiple groups and come down adjacent streets. We need to slow her down, Ryoga, so we need to raise more walls on the other streets to slow her down."

"I'm on it!" Ryoga cried as he ran along the embankment to the next intersection.

Meanwhile, soldiers were cautiously coming down the embankment to stand with Olaf and Akari. One of them looked up at Olaf and said: "Sir, the flame throwers are useless in this wind. What do we do?"

"Break out the holy hand grenades, lads!" Olaf said expansively.

"Say what?"

"All your explosive ordinance has been Blest, lads. Use it," the giant explained in grand tones. "Forget about your standard bullets – they're useless. Get the RPG's out, use your hand grenades."

"But what about the collateral damage?!"

"Screw the buildings. Drop them on the zombies if you can! The living are the only things that count!"

"YES, SIR!

"Go! Go get your ordinance now!" Olaf ordered. The soldiers hasten to comply.

As soon as they left, Olaf turned to Akari and said: "Not one word, lass. I'm on it!" Akari's mouth snapped shut as Olaf pulled out a small (in his hands anyway) radio. "Kuno! Answer, damn it!"

"Kuno here!" the radio answered.

"You were suppose to work on a plan 'B' for close quarters! We need it!"

"It's on its way!"

"We need it now!

"Hold her for five minutes! And make sure the soldiers still have their lighters!"

"Torches?" Olaf asked a little doubtfully.

"Flaming swords! Holy flaming swords! Good for about twenty minutes!" Kuno's voice sounded grimly proud. "Attack quickly! Out!"

"Gods…" Olaf muttered as his hand with the radio dropped.

"The troops aren't trained for sword fighting, are they?" Akari asked.

"No, but neither are the zombies," Olaf said. "It's too much of an even fight, with Henna free to tweak the odds in her favor."

"What about the Martial Artists?"

"What about them?"

"They're with the families at the school. Many of them are trained in sword fighting. They can match the zombies in speed. With Blessed swords, they can win!"

Olaf seemed stunned for a moment. Then he looked at Akari and barked out: "Well, go girl! Run back and gather them!"

Akari gave Olaf a crooked grin. "Nice try, giant. I'm staying. Use the radio."

Olaf sighed and raised the radio to his mouth again. After several conversations, he told Akari. "Done, lass. The swords will be delivered to the high school. There's no shortage of volunteers. Hopefully this all works…"

* * *

Tatewaki worked with the Healer Nari. For the most part, their patients were people that had been relocated from the north of the Tendo dojo to the high school. There were some elderly people among the group, three pregnant women (one due any day now), and handful of stressed out kids. There were also a few soldiers suffering from burns, but not very many. The sad truth of the matter was that Henna's troops did not leave survivors. Tatewaki observed this fact, but kept his thoughts to himself. He was here to help, not spread disparaging comments.

"You're doing well, boy," Nari complimented him as he managed to make an old man comfortable. He nodded at the comment, but said nothing else. Instead, he turned to a young child and began to talk to the girl in a soothing voice, getting her to settle as well.

A short time later, a voice boomed out "Kuno! Tatewaki Kuno! Are you here?"

Tatewaki started at the voice. "You know the idiot?" Nari asked him. At his nod, she added: "Get him to shut up."

Kuno nodded again and stood up. Then he moved quickly to the source of the shouting. It was Hideaki Yamashita, the former captain of the Kendo club at the high school, calling for Tatewaki. "Yamashita!" Kuno said in a scolding voice. "Peace! There are sick and wounded here!"

"Kuno! You have to come with us!" Yamashita said urgently as he ran up to Kuno. "We need you to help us. We're going to fight! We need swordmen!"

"I'm working here!" Kuno said in a hushed voice.

"We need you. You're the best sword fighter we have. You were the only one who could last five minutes against Ranma," Yamashita exhorted.

Kuno rolled his eyes. "Then get Ranma," he said firmly. "I'm busy. I swore a promise to help out here. I'm not going to break it!"

"Ranma's busy! We need you!" Yamashita pressed again.

"No."

Yamashita banged a fist against Kuno's chest. "Kuno! Come on!" he shouted. "What happened to you?! You never passed up a chance to fight!"

"I was also a maniac," Kuno answered. "I'm not a maniac anymore."

"But before you freaked out, you were a warrior – a true warrior. Look at you man! Even now, your stance is perfect! Come with us!"

"No." With that Tatewaki turned away from Yamashita and almost walked straight into a stone-faced Nari. He held her stern gaze.

Nari's eyes softened and then she said: "Congratulations: the Blue Thunder is gone."

"And it's staying that way," Kuno replied.

Yamashita pleaded: "But you have the Power, man. You could wield a wooden bokken like it was steel. If you get one of these burning swords, you can cut through the zombies like they were paper."

"Burning swords? What nonsense is this?" Nari demanded.

Yamashita quickly told them about the zombies' vulnerability to a special type of fire, and that some mages had created swords that would burn with this fire for twenty minutes.

"Do you understand any of this?" Kuno asked Nari.

"Yeah, I do," she admitted reluctantly. "I've seen something like it before. The swords are rune swords – they are carved all over. The runes are packed with a fuel that burns until it is consumed. The effect looks dramatic and usually lasts about five minutes. Twenty minutes would be a record. The swords are also usually easily breakable because they are practically hollow. I don't think it would be possible to use them in an actual battle."

"Where did the swords come from?" Kuno asked Yamashita.

"Your uncle," Yamashita answered.

Tatewaki raised a hand to his face. "It's possible," was all he said.

Yamashita was about to say something, but Nari stopped him with a glance. Both of them watched Tatewaki wrestle with his thoughts. Finally, Kuno said: "Mistress?"

"Yes?"

"I need your permission to try this. If I don't, and we lose, it will haunt me to the end of my days."

"If we lose, the end of your days is going to come mighty quick," she warned.

"All the more reason to try this," he replied with a sigh.

Nari frowned and pondered the request, then sighed in turn. "All right, you have my permission. But if you're going to do this, you're going to do this right…"

* * *

"Tofu!" Akane called out. When she had his attention, she leapt down in front of him. "Where's Henna?" she demanded.

"Closing in on Furinkan High School. She's already gotten through the Marketplace," he told her grimly.

"All right, I'm on it," she said as she turned to leave.

He grabbed her shoulder. "You might as well travel with us," he pointed out.

She didn't argue. "Let's go!"

* * *

Ryoga was hard pressed to hold back the pressure of the zombies. Henna had broken her army into three pieces, and each were coming down separate streets toward the high school. He kept bouncing back and forth among the streets, using Chi blast to create debris walls that delayed the advance, but that was all he was doing. Despite his efforts, the zombies were making steady progress – Ryoga was only pushing them back two steps for every three forward.

Olaf held up a hand and said: "You've bought us as much time as you can. For better or worse, we're in position."

"Which street is Henna on?" Akari asked. "That's the one I need."

"I don't know," Ryoga answered honestly. "I can feel the wrongness of the zombies, but I can't feel her."

"Then she has to come to us," Olaf stated. He turned to the troops and mages waiting on top of the earthen fortifications. To them, he bellowed: "IT'S TIME. ON MY MARK." The giant drew his sword and held it up for everyone to see. "READY… AIM… FIRE!"

Olaf brought his sword down and the troops began launching RPG's down all three streets. The mages began casting spells against Henna's darkness, trying to give the soldiers better views of their targets. Meanwhile, soldiers with flame throwers ran up against the buildings at the head of the streets, taking shelter against Henna's wind, and waiting for the first of the zombies.

"NO," Olaf yelled at the men. "Back to the fortifications! That won't work for long, you'll be overrun!" But the men didn't turn around. Instead, they continued to fan out against the buildings. Olaf began cursing. Olaf turned to Ryoga and Akari and yelled: "Drop back now! I have to get those idiots out of there!" Without waiting for an answer, Olaf strode after the men.

At that moment, the first of Henna's zombies emerged from the central street. The soldiers lying in wait open fire with the flamethrowers, but Henna's wind saved the zombies from the initial blast. The soldiers compensated and started burning the zombies, however, there were more zombies than flamethrowers. The extra zombies quickly ran around the flame bursts (which were blocked by burning zombies) and zero'ed in on the soldiers. The soldiers switched to the escapees, but, while the RPGs from the men on top of the fortifications were definitely having an effect, other zombies were managing to make it to the end of the street and replacing the ones on fire. Soon the soldiers were forced to retreat.

Fortunately, they were retreating toward Olaf. Despite the giant's size, he moved about twice as fast as the zombies and his sword sheared through his opponents without any resistance. The zombies sliced in half were not destroyed – only temporarily incapacitated as they were forced to stop and reassemble themselves. Some of the soldiers caught on and set the pieces on fire. "Get back!" Olaf ordered the men. "We cannot hold them here!" Finally, the men seemed to catch on and retreat.

Olaf continued to fight, backing away from the tide, but he had a problem moving toward him – the zombies from the next street were running toward his back, having absorbed the soldiers Olaf hadn't been with. The men on top of the fortifications were launching RPGs trying to provide cover for the giant as well as stem the zombies running at them.

"Olaf!" Ryoga cried as he leaped between the giant and the mob of zombies. The Lost Boy touched the ground and yelled "Breaking Point!" The earth quickly swallowed the zombies, and RPG's slammed into the crevice.

"Get back!" Olaf shouted.

"Let's go!" Ryoga hollered back as he launched a Chi blast into the ground and created a debris wave that momentarily freed Olaf.

"Right!" With that, Olaf picked up Ryoga, tucked him under one arm, and leaped to the top of the fortifications. He sat Ryoga down and swore. "Damn it! I left my auto-cannon behind."

The zombies swarmed up the embankment. The melee spread out to include all the high school's soccer fields. While the mages were able to shred Henna's darkness spell, and grenades and RPG's took their toll, it wasn't enough and the Storm's winds were rendering the flamethrowers useless except at extremely close quarters. Soon, the soldiers were forced to start a retreat toward the high school while using standard bullets to slow the zombies – the zombies had to stop and mash themselves back together.

* * *

Tatewaki held the sword loosely, testing its balance – which it had none. "It might as well be a club," he noted disgustedly.

"Can you wield it?" Nari asked.

"I'll make it work," he promised grimly. Around his neck, he wore a bandanna Nari had made him wear. He looked over at the fifty Martial Artists gathered. "All right, light 'em up and let's get going."

* * *

Henna watched as her troops push the living back toward the high school – where the refugees were hiding. "Once I have converted the families hiding there, I'll have enough troops to search for Mizu without these pesky soldiers bothering me. She's nearby – that much I know. I can also convert more people to hunt for Akane and Akari."

Suddenly, there was a war cry from the school and the one of the doorways burst open. About fifty men and women charged out wearing gis and waving flaming swords. "Not more Holy Fire!" Henna raged. Ninjas began passing out more flaming swords to the soldiers who ran out of ammo. "The grenades were bad enough, now this?! I'll barbecue them on their own swords!"

She ran forward as the swordsmen raced pass the soldiers and began engaging her troops. "They move fast – these must be the real Nerima Martial Artists. Akane's probably among them. Ranma's probably their leader," she thought. She picked out one individual who downed three zombies in fast succession. The individual was dressed in street clothes instead of a gi and was wearing a bandanna around his neck. "Ah ha!" she gloated. "Nighty, night, Ranma!" She hurled a disruption blast at the bandanna man…

* * *

Olaf watched the Martial Artists stream out of Furinkan High and attack the zombies. The swords caused the zombies to burst into flames. "YES!" he exulted silently. "We're still alive and kicking!" He noted with shock that Tatewaki Kuno was leading the charge. "Crud! I didn't know he was back in town. Toshio Kuno's going to love that! Still, he's doing an impressive job."

Abruptly, Kuno was struck by a spell blast! "HENNA!" Olaf thought. "I have to stop her!"

He scanned the field for the source of the spell and saw Henna at a distance. "BITCH QUEEN!" he thundered.

* * *

Takewaki never felt the blast hit him. Nor did he feel it harmlessly drain away. He did feel Nari's bandanna vanish in a puff a smoke though. Quickly, he dispatched the zombie in front of him and pulled out another bandanna. He tied the bandanna around his neck again. "One down, two lives left. I better make this count." He threw himself into the battle once more.

* * *

Henna's jaw dropped as bandanna man shrugged off the disruption bolt. "Not possible!" she thought in disbelief. But she had other issues as the Earth Giant on the field was orienting on her.

"BITCH QUEEN!" rang out over the school grounds.

"Great – more delays," she half groaned/half growled.

The giant leaped into the air and came down, covering a third of the distance. He smashed a zombie flat. It drained some of his life force as it became pancakes. Before Henna could order her zombies to swarm him, the giant leaped into the air again.

"This one has a brain," she thought. "He could be trouble if there wasn't water in his blood."

When the giant landed a second time, Henna reached out with her Power and stiffened his legs. The giant staggered and fell, his hand mashing another zombie as he caught himself. Then he righted himself and strode toward Henna – a testament to his strength. Henna ordered her zombies to attack him. He swept his two-handed sword through the lot scattering them. She continued to stiffen his joints and began to drain his life force.

Despite that, the giant strode forward challenging her: "I'm use to life-stealers, little dung pile. You'll find I have a lot to steal before you can kill me. In the mean time, let's find out how you do against this!" He casually tossed a grenade at her. She reached out to bat it away with magic, only to find she couldn't – the weapon continued to tumble toward her. She ordered one of her zombies to catch it and throw it away. The zombie exploded in a ball of Sacred Fire. The giant tossed another one at her. Henna ordered another interception with the same result.

Meanwhile, the giant was closing the distance between them. She continued to drain him, but his strength was incredible. "Now, I have a problem," she thought as she began to back up. With a gesture, she ordered all nearby zombies to attack. About ten of the creatures leaped at the giant. He swept the majority away with a sword stroke, but two manage to cling to his back. He ignored them though and continued to advance on Henna. She upp'ed the drain on him.

"You've killed too many, Henna," the giant rumbled. "It's time to pay." With that, he leaped at her.

Henna was an Amazon. She was also an Amazon warrior despite her advance age. She danced out of the way as his sword passed through where she had been. The giant straightened up and swung his sword again at her. She ducked under the swipe. Next, she had to dodge a kick that whipped through the air; blocking that kick was not an option. Spinning away from another sword swing, Henna threw the giant's stolen strength into a massive disruption bolt. The bolt struck the giant square in the chest and seemed to make him pause for the briefest of moments.

"Not even close, little dung pile," the giant rumbled at her and then leaped into the air. Henna had to scramble to avoid being stomped to death.

"One hit and I'm toast," she thought. "He's not some lumbering oaf. He's a true warrior. But that disruption bolt did hurt him. He is vulnerable to my Water Magic. I need to keep draining him and using his energy against him." She dodged the sword stab, electing not to try and parry the massive blade.

Henna was moving faster than she ever had before, channeling the giant's strength into her speed and trying to avoid a death blow. Any chance she could, she tried to tag the giant – physical contact upp'ed the life draining enormously. But she couldn't gloat – nearly every ounce of strength she stole she had to spend immediately to stay alive. Any time she ended up with a positive charge, she launched another disruption bolt at the giant. Meanwhile, she continued to have her zombies attack him, but he kept slicing and dicing them, slowing the monsters as they paused to reassemble themselves. Like Henna, the zombies also continued to drain the giant, but the creature's reserves were huge.

Their battle continued. Henna dodged a sword swipe here, and a kick there. About every third attack, the giant had to stop and deal with the zombies. Henna could usually manage a contact energy drain or a disruption bolt during the pauses, but she couldn't afford a mistake – that giant was that good. Finally, Henna hit him with a disruption bolt and the giant staggered and lost his sword, having to catch himself from falling completely. Henna couldn't gloat though – she was winded from the size of the bolt she cast. Instead, she summoned her strength and ran forward, tagging the giant on the arm that he used to catch himself. The giant's arm buckled with the direct energy drain and his shoulder plowed heavily into the ground narrowly missing Henna as she leapt out of the way. She quickly darted in again and tagged his head. His eyes rolled back in his head as she stole his spirit and his body collapsed to the ground like a landslide.

* * *

In Cronus's Observatory, a single whole gear lay on his workbench next to two broken gears. The gear shone under the work lights for a moment and then tarnished silently. Cronus failed to notice it as he was concentrating on the Machine that towered above him. "That's it! We are there!" he shouted to himself. With that, he grabbed his radio.

* * *

A/N: Next up - Sacrifice


	16. Sacrifice

Chapter 16: Sacrifice

* * *

The radio burst out with: "Tofu! Are you there?"

The part Kitsune answered: "I'm here, Cronus!"

"Get Akane in there now! This is it!"

"Done!"

* * *

Henna stood next to the body of the fallen Earth Giant. She should feel victorious, but the battle had cost her. Something was terribly wrong. She was not rejuvenated. Normally, absorbing a nine-tailed Kitsune would have restored her as well, but she must have spent that energy healing herself. But there was no such excuse with the giant's death. She should be bursting with power right now, but it wasn't happening. "The giant's body is not responding either. He's not becoming a zombie. I should be able to wipe the field with him, but the conversion isn't happening…" she thought tiredly.

She looked at the battlefield and received a shock – her zombies were being routed by the Nerima Martial Artists. "NO!" she cried out loud. "The giant kept me too distracted. I've got less than a hundred troops left!" she thought. Henna began running toward the nearest fighter, determined to convert him, sword or no sword, when she received a second shock – a trumpet blast sounded from the north by the earthen fortifications. As she turned to look, mercenaries scrambled over the earth mounds, firing blasts of Blessed Fire. The wind, which was blowing in the mercs' favor, carried the flames tens of meters in front of the men.

"Death to Henna!" they cried.

"Oh gods! They've caught up! I need to make more troops now!" she thought. In front of her, the nearest fighter, a young woman, finished the zombie she had been fighting. "Come here, girl, and fight me!" Henna challenged.

The woman turned and Henna's heart nearly stopped as she recognized Akari Unyru. Akari smiled grimly and hit warp speed, attacking Henna with her flaming sword. "I've been looking for you Henna," Akari said as she took a swing at Henna. "We have some business together, don't we?"

Henna dodged the sword swing with only moderate difficulty. While Akari was a Nerima Martial Artist, she was new to her power and it showed in her movements. A zombie was no challenge to the girl, but Henna was another matter. "Stop!" Henna ordered.

Akari shook her head ruefully and attacked again. "Sorry, Henna, but I can't let you hurt my friends and family. I'm the marked Sacrifice. My death means your death."

Henna dodged again and tried to distract Akari. "What nonsense is this?" Henna blustered.

"You already know, Henna." Akari's patient tone was at odds with her furious sword swings. "You knew who I was immediately – I saw it in your face. You know Happosai marked me for death so Mizu can die. You're holding part of Mizu's spirit after all."

The mention of Happosai's name caused Henna's movements to stutter, and she nearly didn't clear one of Akari's swings. "Happosai?" Henna said puzzled. Akari nodded in between swings.

"Happosai?" Henna repeated stronger. Again Akari nodded and swung.

"HAPPOSAI!" Henna screamed.

"Ah, you didn't know that, did you?" Akari said sympathetically while lunging at Henna with the sword. The flames on the sword were starting to die down.

"That lecher destroyed my work?!" Henna raged and dodged.

"Yes," Akari agreed. "He marked Ranma, he marked Akane, he marked Ryoga, and he's been manipulating the Council, the mercenaries – and you. I didn't think he was that smart, but it looks like he's the wise one here. He managed to get you to Nerima – to face me."

Henna smacked Akari in the forehead, knocking the girl back. She was about to follow up the attack, when she felt a tiny twinge deep inside. "Oh crap," Henna thought. "She *is* a marked sacrifice. If I kill her, Mizu dies."

"Come Henna," Akari challenged while scrambling up again. "Kill me. Drain my life force. Go ahead." She advanced on Henna. "How about this one? I know where Mizu is – you just have to kill me to absorb my knowledge." Akari lunged forward with the sword. Henna backed up. Meanwhile, the Martial Artists continued to make short work of the remaining zombies. Henna produced two sais from the folds of her robes. "Almost as good as Mousse," Akari noted.

Henna ignored this and concentrated on tangling the sword with her sais. If she could get the weapon away from Akari, she could knock the girl out. Then she could have her minions take the unconscious girl off the battlefield.

"I'm impressed someone as old and dottering as you can keep up," Akari bantered. "You're hair is getting greyer by the moment and your skin is sagging on your face."

Henna suppressed her irritation and concentrated on the sword.

"Of course, the longer you're with me, the more your forces get cut to ribbons," Akari added whimsically, trying to push Henna over the edge.

Henna tangled one sai with the sword; the sai locked on the runes of the sword. She then drained some of Akari's energy away, causing the girl to stagger. With the other sai, Henna yanked the sword out of Akari's grip. "Got it!" Henna exalted as she kicked Akari in the side.

Akari fell but rolled away. When the girl rose from the ground, she had a tanto in her hand. "Goodbye, Henna!" Akari cried as she dove forward on the knife. Henna lashed out with a kick at Akari's hands. Amazingly, she managed to get a solid blow to the clench fist and knocked the tanto out of Akari's hand. Akari fell on the ground unhurt (relatively).

Henna's concentration was so focused on Akari, her early warning system fired just a little too late. She managed to duck under the sword swing aiming at her neck, but she was too off-balance to dodge the follow-up side-kick. She tumbled away from her new attacker while fighting down a wave of nausea. Then she leaped up and spun to see who attacked her.

Akane Tendo was already closing in again.

Henna produced a sword and dove in to meet the attack. The swords clashed and sparks flew. Akane did not waste words with Henna, she just attacked again. Henna parried and counterattacked with a kick of her own, but Akane just dodged. Once more, Akane attacked with the sword – a side cut this time, and once more, Henna parried. Henna continued to let Akane wail on her, expertly parrying every attack and occasionally counterattacking. The Elder's plan was simply: wear her challenger down, and then kill her.

But Akane, wasn't wearing down. Her twentieth attack was just as strong as the first one. The girl wasn't even breaking a sweat. Even more unnerving was the absolute silence from Akane – not just in movements, but in speech. There were no threats and no challenges from Akane; just one smooth attack after another.

"Enough," thought Henna. "I need to drain her and be done." She reached out with her magic to steal Akane's life force, but came away with nothing. "She's protected?!" Henna wondered. She tried again with similar results – except her nausea grew a little more. "Most impressive," Henna thought as she parried the umpteenth attack. "Ah well, there's blood in her veins, just like the giant. I'll just seize her limbs." Henna's power flowed into Akane's legs – and fell apart. Henna countered Akane's next attack viciously and back-flipped away from the young woman. Then she unleashed a disruption bolt at Akane. But Akane just ignored the magic bolt and ran to close the distance with Henna again.

"She's immune to my Water magic!" Henna thought desperately. "I need to have my zombies get…"

Akane spoke, breaking Henna's thoughts: "It's just you and me Henna. Your zombies are busy getting destroyed. Focus on me. If you can beat me, you win." It was the first words Akane said to Henna.

"I'll win with or without you, child," Henna countered. "But I will beat you."

Akane didn't answer. She just attacked again. Henna blocked and counter attacked, this time putting more effort behind the sword slashes. Again, Akane's only response was another attack. This pattern went on for some time: attack, block, counter, block - over and over again.

"What the hell?" Henna wondered in exasperation. "I'm the better swordwoman; she's wasting a lot of energy, but she's not wearing down like she should. I've got to change this up before those mercenaries finish with my troops and come after me: she'll kill me if I get distracted. Let's get rid of the swords first…" Henna slid her sword down Akane's blade. The girl was startled by the mistake. Then Henna lunged forward and knocked the swords up and out of the fight.

Of course, this action left Henna open for Akane's roundhouse kick. Henna was prepared for the blow, even if she couldn't block it. She was prepared for the possibility of a bruised or broken rib. What she wasn't prepared for was the wave of nausea that rose up her throat or the water that poured out her mouth in the aftermath of Akane's kick. Henna was doubled over, but she avoided collapsing on the ground though.

Akane closed the distance between them and launched a fist strike at the side of Henna's head. Henna jerked up to avoid the blow and grabbed Akane's fist, determined to pull Akane into a knee strike. Once more, a wave of nausea hit Henna and water flowed out of her mouth. Akane broke the grip easily and spun in a kick that Henna jumped over. Then the Amazon threw her own fist strike and Akane blocked. This time, water gushed from Henna's mouth. The flow should have drenched Akane, but it flowed away from the Japanese woman, leaving her dry. Akane's eyes widened in surprise.

"Akane!" Akari yelled out. "It's your weird water power! It's disrupting her magics!" Akari had retrieved Akane's sword and was looking for an opening to toss the weapon back to Akane.

Henna had no idea what Akari meant, but she did know something was terribly wrong. The spirits she had absorbed were trying to get free! Leading the pack were the fox lord and the giant – she could actually feel them trying to separate! "What the hell is going on?!" she thought desperately.

Akane shook off her surprise and attacked with a combination. Henna blocked and again vomited water. "No, it's physical contact with her! It's strengthening the spirits to fight me!" she realized with horror.

"Akane! Grab her! Hold her!" Akari commanded in a choral voice as her eyes began to glow. The blue-black haired young woman nodded.

Henna turned and ran, but Akane flipped through the air to land in front of Henna again. "No, Henna. This ends now," Akane told Henna in a dreadfully quiet voice. She charged at Henna, hands out to block a strike. Henna dodged at light speed, but Akane was anticipating the action and flowed after the Amazon. Faster and faster they moved, but Akane was gaining on Henna and her strikes were getting closer and closer.

Finally, Akane tagged a glancing blow to Henna's shoulder and Henna again vomited water. That loss of control gave Akane the opening she needed to grapple with Henna. As fist closed on wrist, Henna gave a gargled scream that was quickly lost in a jet of water from her mouth. Henna began convulsing as Akane forced her to the ground. Water began flowing out of Henna's nose and eyes.

Taro appeared next to Akari. "Don't let go!" he cried over the wind.

A puddle formed about the two women, and as it grew deeper and wider, images of men and women began to appear in the water – victims of Henna's magic. Henna thrashed and rolled like a madwoman, all the time gushing water from her face. Akane was working hard to grapple with the witch in the water. The liquid around them deepened and spread out further. More and more faces appeared and now they seemed to be pushing against the surface of the water. This continued until two familiar faces appeared, one on either side of Henna – one was Lord Jakaro, the other was the Giant Olaf. The water continued to grow deeper until Henna was completely submerged, even though she continued to fight Akane. The faces of Jakaro and Olaf pressed against the surface until two shapes began to rise from the puddle (now a small pond), one on either side of Henna.

"I told you I was your Doom," Jakaro's shape intoned, his voice somehow carrying over the lashing wind.

"I've sworn to see you destroyed," Olaf's shape echoed above the wind.

The two shapes seem to pull all the free water into themselves and continued to grow. Henna bucked even wilder in Akane's grip but the blue-black haired young woman held on tight. Water continued to jettison from Henna; now it was also running from her hands and feet. Olaf's water shape grew to mirror his real life size. Jakaro's shape rose to match the giant's. All through the two shapes, other faces could be seen, wearing determined looks. The two shapes seemed to draw themselves up and deliberately pull water out of Henna – it gushed from her body faster and faster. Akane would have been washed away except her wild power made her immune to the force of the water. Olaf's and Jakaro's shapes continued to grow.

Finally, Henna's body burst asunder like a bubble under Akane's grip and vanished. At the same time, the two giant water shapes also burst and a wave of water flowed across the field. It rose up and poured into the swimming pool, forcing out the water that was already there. Akane and Akari ran across the field in its wake. The wind continued to howl around them.

"It's not over!" Akari shouted above the wind, her eyes still glowing. "The Storm's not dying back!" She watched as the mercenaries and the Martial Artists worked on destroying the remaining zombies. "Henna's beaten, but not undone. Something's missing!"

* * *

Shampoo dodged under the swing of Mousse's staff. "I'm faster," she thought. "But he's anticipating my moves. He's gotten to be very good. Grandmother must be training him. He's also adopted some of Ranma's wild style – I can't anticipate him. I hate to think that I'm that predictable. Maybe it's his heighten senses; he certainly doesn't seem half-blind right now." She was hard pressed to get away from him. Anytime she cloaked, he still knew where she was. He met every attack and countered her successfully. Worse yet, the nausea in her stomach was getting stronger. She had a feeling time was running out.

Suddenly, Mousse leaped aside as a pipe just missed his ear. Happosai spun and attacked Mousse again. The old man glanced at Shampoo as Mousse parried the pipe swing. "Go girl!" Happosai commanded. "Your time's almost up. Go now!" Shampoo took the reprieve and Cloaked again. Then she ran away while Happosai continued to keep Mousse busy. She heard Mousse cursing the old man with enough fervor to blister paint.

The winds buffeted Shampoo as she ran, but did not really hinder her as she followed her sixth sense to where Akane was. Below her, there were military men and women running in the street, also heading in the direction Shampoo was running, but the former Amazon ignored them. She stumbled as pain pierced her side. "No!" she thought desperately. "It's happening! I have to find Akane!"

* * *

Akane looked at the swimming pool full of green water. Next to her, stood Akari and Taro. Above her, there was a crackle of lightning that shot across the sky. "OK, what do we do next?" Akane asked.

Akari took out a tanto. "I'll finish this. I'm ready," she said determinedly in a peculiar choral voice. Her eyes were still glowing.

Taro put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "No," he said firmly. "You're not the appointed sacrifice. If you die, Mizu dies as well, but when you come back, she won't. We need her to come back. You're the fall-back."

"How do you know this?" Akari demanded.

"I know," he stated. "I was once a fall-back."

"WHAT?!" both women shouted.

Then Akane followed up with: "So, who is Akari a fall-back for?"

A cry rended the air: "AKANE!"

Akane groaned "Oh no…" as Shampoo leapt into view. The Amazon's face was completely black.

"Akane! Die!" Shampoo shouted with a sword raised over her head.

Akane was already in motion and leaped out of the way. "Shampoo! This has to wait!" she implored as Shampoo landed where Akane had been.

Shampoo winced and grabbed her side. "Shampoo out of time," the Amazon said with a catch in her breath. "Goodbye Akane!" She ran at Akane swinging her sword.

Akane stepped inside the swing and knocked the sword away. Then she threw Shampoo into the pool. The Amazon did not shift shape as she hit the water. "Of course she used Jusenkyo soap," Akane moaned.

Shampoo started to swim for the side closest to Akane when Shampoo screamed "No!" and thrashed in the water in obvious pain.

"Oh gods," Akane exclaimed. The young woman took a deep breath and leaped into the water after Shampoo. Akane sank without a splash into the water, exerting her anti-water power to allow her to move quickly. She landed lightly on the bottom of the deep end. Shampoo was swimming above her. On the pool deck, Taro took out a liter bottle and smashed it against the side of the pool. The contents of the bottle drained into the pool and turned the pool an even deeper green.

In the water, Shampoo dived to where Akane stood on the bottom. Akane reached out and touched Shampoo, causing the Amazon to crash to the bottom as well. Shampoo lost her breath in surprise and almost gulped the water. She did gulp water when Akane drove her fist into Shampoo's stomach. Shampoo started to panic, but couldn't swim upward because of Akane's effect on the water. While Shampoo was gathering herself for a leap out of the pool, Akane punched Shampoo in the side of the head. Akane's fist was not slowed by the water, knocking the Amazon out.

As Shampoo lay on the bottom of the pool, Akane put her hand on Shampoo's belly and felt the fire building there. Remembering Shiran's lessons, she began to pull the heat out of Shampoo and dump it into the surrounding water in one continuous draw. She had to move quickly before her breath failed, so she pushed herself to the limit. Fortunately, Akane was still connected to Ranma in the heart of the Nexus, so she had access to a tremendous amount of power and the heat flowed swiftly. Just before she had to get a breath, the fire in Shampoo's belly failed and Shampoo's core temperature actually dropped precipitously. Akane leaped up and grabbed a breath and returned to Shampoo. As Akane picked up the body, the blackness on Shampoo's face seemed to crack and vanish. Then the water changed from green to clear. Akane leapt out of the pool.

* * *

The Storm continued to send its magical bolts, but Ranma intercepted every one with his staff, sparing the populous. He was starting to get tired though – very tired. Suddenly, there was a flash across the entire sky and the clouds of the Storm stopped tumbling over each other. "Yes!" he exalted. "It's over." Quickly, he oriented on Akane. She was still alive and at Furinkan High. He quickly jumped off the building using his Wind Magic to break his fall. Then he started leaping toward the high school.

* * *

Akane placed Shampoo's body on the ground as Akari and Taro ran over. "You did it!" Taro exclaimed.

"Now, I have to undo it," Akane said as she set two hands against Shampoo's chest. Summoning her Fire Magic, Akane began to administer CPR while carefully raising Shampoo's body temperature. Akari assisted as Taro stood guard. Meanwhile, the wind died down and the combatants on the field began to take stock of their surroundings as the last of the zombies were destroyed.

Finally, Shampoo's body convulsed and drew a breath. "Yes!" Akane exclaimed. "The Water worked!"

"You gave her Water from Ryugenzawa?" Akari asked. Her voice was now its normal tone and her eyes had stopped glowing.

Akane nodded. "I picked up a dose from Tofu and slipped it into some tea I gave her."

Taro's expression became confused and then grim. "Something doesn't make sense," he stated.

"What?" Akane asked in confusion. Then she shook her head and gathered Shampoo in her arms. "It will have to wait. We need to get her to a hospital – or the Clinic. We need to have Tofu…"

Suddenly, there was an explosion of force from Shampoo's body that threw Akane, Akari, and Taro fifteen meters in different directions. The energy rolled out across the field knocking all the Martial Artists, Kitsunes, and mercenaries down. As people gathered their wits, Shampoo climbed to her feet. Her mouth shouted in Henna's voice: "FOOLS!"

* * *

A/N: Next up - Decision


	17. Decision

Chapter 17: Decision

Cronus watched the Machine spin through its paces. "It worked! The Configuration is holding!" he crowed. But as he looked on, the Machine began to slow. Cronus's eyes widened as he took in the sight. "Crisis point: It will either speed up again or rip itself apart," he said to himself. He climbed up the scaffolding quickly and studied the various spinning gears. "Come on," he pushed himself. "Find the dragging gear. We are so close!" He leaped over assorted supports and braces, climbing ever higher on the Machine while tracing the energy flows in the system.

"There!" He called out to no one. "That ratchet needs to be opened – and I have to do it. But how?" He pulled out a custom gear from his pocket that had his name on it. "C'mon, Think!" After a few moments, he applied the local clutch that removed power to the ratchet gear in question and popped his small gear onto a free axel. Then he adjusted the other gears around it. "All right! Let see if this fixes it," he told himself. Cronus released the clutch and watched the local group of gears spin up. There was a tearing sound and the gear with his name on it shattered. Meanwhile, the Machine continued to slow down.

Cronus stood on a crossbeam in shock and then shook himself. "O.K., that wasn't it," he muttered. His ears picked up a vibration starting deep in the Machine. "Oh crap! It's going to blow! I don't have time for another trial!" he thought desperately. He teleported to the main power gear and threw the clutch there, freezing the Machine before it could destroy itself.

Cronus stepped back and looked at the construct of the Machine. "This is it," he said aloud. "If I do nothing, we fail. If I make the wrong move, we fail. And I only have time for one move." He traced a chain of gears up the Machine toward the frozen ratchet and sighed: "This had better work." With that, he took out his phone.

* * *

Shampoo surveyed her downed opponents. "Shampoo?" Akari asked shakily.

Shampoo's eyes blazed. "Shampoo is gone!" Henna's voice proclaimed. "Mizu is gone! The only thing left is me! And I will destroy all of you!" Her eyes fell on Akane's unconscious form. "Starting with you!" Henna raised her fist and threw a Chi Blast at Akane, but a second blast knocked it away.

Ryoga leaped between Henna and the prone Akane. "No, Henna! Your time is done!"

"Done?!" Henna raged. "Mizu is dead. Her power is there for the taking and I will claim it! I'll start by absorbing your spirit after I kill you, boy!" She launched a beam of energy against Ryoga, but he blocked it with his own Chi Shield, wincing under the Power strain.

"How is she doing this?" Akari wondered aloud. Then she launched her own Chi blast at Henna. Henna blocked it with one hand while maintaining her attack on Ryoga.

"I'll kill you both!" Henna shrieked.

"No, you won't!" Ranma rang out as she landed, still in her werecat form. She then leaped at Henna. There was another explosion and Ranma tumbled away from Henna, managing to control her fall after the first few moments.

Henna broke off her attack on Ryoga and glared at Ranma as she landed upright by Akane. "So…now you show, Ranma of Nerima. Just in time to watch me absorb your brother." With that she marched on Ryoga. Ryoga fired his own Chi beam at her, but Henna absorbed it effortlessly and continued to advance on him.

Ranma raised her hand and a windstorm flew down around her and launched itself at Henna, parting for Ryoga. Henna's advance stopped and she looked annoyed as the gale pressed against her. "Think I only studied Water? You're wrong, boy!" She made a gesture and the wind rebounded against her and back at Ranma.

The shape-shifter spun one of her claws/fingers and the wind began to circle her instead. "Not that easy, Henna," she said. Akane began to stir at Ranma's feet. Ryoga continued to fire his Chi blast unrelentingly.

"I'll still claim your brother," Henna taunted as she moved closer to Ryoga.

"Ryoga, fall back to us!" Ranma yelled. Akane was slowly climbing to her feet. Akari was racing toward the couple.

Ryoga cut the stream and did a series of back flips that placed him besides Ranma. As Akari neared, Ranma made another spinning gesture with her finger. A full blown tornado sprang into being with the two couples at its center. Henna tried to follow, but the winds rebuffed her. Her face contorted in rage. The witch in Shampoo's body raised both hands and shot a wide Chi beam at the four teenagers. As one, the four Martial Artists fired back their own beam which cut through the winds and clashed with Henna's.

* * *

Kasumi watched confusion start on the battlefield as the last of the zombies were destroyed. She had been tending to the sick and injured inside the school until the Martial Artists had armed themselves with Toshio Kuno's burning swords and attacked Henna's forces. Since she was not an expert with the sword, she had gone as the group's medic. The Healer Nari had given her advice and two bandannas before letting her go. The group had been successful enough at destroying the zombies until the mercenaries had arrived to help finish the job. Now people were milling about as the winds died down, unsure of what to do next. She herself was unsure.

With a beeping noise, her phone rang with a text message, surprising Kasumi. On it was a message from Cronus, telling her to find Tofu. She stared at the message and then became concerned: Was Cronus telling her Tofu was injured? Hurriedly, she sent out her thoughts looking for her husband. She detected him on the far side of the battlefield, well away from her. She sprinted across the battlefield littered with burning zombies until she saw a familiar figure holding a flamethrower. "Tofu!" she called out.

Tofu turned toward her voice and looked surprised to hear his wife in the midst of the chaos. Kasumi ran to him and he quickly snuffed the ignitor flame, letting the weapon fall to his side. He embraced her while scolding her: "It's not safe yet!"

She just shook her head and shot back: "I don't care. Besides, the zombies are all gone. I can't Feel them anymore."

Tofu grabbed Kasumi's arms and pushed her back just far enough that he could look at her. "Henna!" he said urgently. "Can you Find Henna? We have to kill her or this will start again!"

Kasumi's eyes widened a little bit. "I can try!" she said earnestly.

As she closed her eyes, an explosion occurred on one side of the battlefield knocking them both down. Tofu threw himself across his wife to shield her. A voice calling out "FOOLS!" echoed across the field. The couple lay stunned for several moments.

As Tofu picked himself up, a tornado sprang up near where the explosion had been. "Ranma!" Kasumi exclaimed unnecessarily. She sent her thought out and added: "Akane's with him. So's Ryoga and Akari. And…" her eyes widened as she scrambled up and grabbed Tofu's hand. "Come on!" she yelled. She pulled Tofu toward the tornado and they ran through the stunned battlefield. As they ran, others began to follow them.

Crossing a small rise, they saw Shampoo firing a Chi blast into the base of the tornado. While they dimly could see four figures inside the tornado, they had no trouble seeing the answering Chi blast. "What the hell?!" Tofu burst out.

"It's not Shampoo!" Kasumi yelled back. "That's Henna! She's possessed Shampoo's body! I can't See Shampoo at all."

Tofu hesitated and then said grimly: "May Shampoo – and the gods – forgive me!" Tofu pulled out a sidearm that was engraved with mystic symbols and opened fire aiming for the purple-haired woman's torso. After he emptied the clip to no avail, he said just as grimly: "No good! She's Protected somehow – I'm not that bad a shot."

He started forward but Kasumi grabbed him. "If you get near her, she'll just drain you!" she warned.

Tofu stopped and watched the exchange of Chi blasts for a moment. "Ranma and company are tied into the Nexus – where's she getting the Power from?!" he wondered.

He didn't expect an answer, but Kasumi had one: "She's tapping into the Nexus too somehow!"

"What?"

"She's feeding on the Nexus! She's trying to absorb it!"

Tofu paled. "That's not possible!" he exclaimed.

"Doesn't matter. That's what's she's doing!" Kasumi told him. "We have to stop her!"

"How?!"

Kasumi looked lost for a minute and then her face firmed. She grabbed his hand and said "Follow me!" Together they ran into the tornado. The winds didn't touch them.

* * *

Ukyo's sword ran out of fuel so she switched to her giant spatula, but there were no more enemies about.

"Ukyo!" Konatsu called out from about twenty meters behind her. His sword was still burning. "I've still got fuel – fall back to me!"

She turned to face him and shook her head. "I think…" was as far as she got before an explosion threw them both to the ground.

Konatsu was first on his feet after shaking off the blast. "Mistress!" he shouted. He ran to where Ukyo lay and rolled her over. "Are you all right?"

Ukyo staggered up as Konatsu helped her. "What the hell was that?" she demanded.

"I don't know…" Konatsu started, but stopped as the tornado sprang into being. "Master Ranma!" he said.

"Look! That's Kasumi and Tofu!" Ukyo exclaimed as she watched the couple run across the field toward the tornado. "Let's go!"

The chef and her apprentice ran after the pair. Then they stopped, stunned at seeing Shampoo fighting Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, and Akari. "Something's wrong…something's very wrong," Konatsu said in a low voice.

"She's lost her mind…" Ukyo whispered. Both of them watched in disbelief as Tofu drew a weapon and fired at Shampoo.

"That's not Shampoo if he did that," Ukyo said, still stunned.

"What do we do now?" Konatsu asked.

Ukyo watched as Kasumi stopped Tofu from charging Shampoo. Ukyo's eyes narrowed. "That's Henna!" she shouted. "Kasumi stopped him from attacking."

Konatsu spun and cast a knife high into the air. It tracked a perfect arch toward Shampoo's head, but bounce off something a meter from its target. "Well, that's not going to work," Konatsu noted.

Then, Kasumi led Tofu into the whirlwind. As Ukyo and Konatsu watched, the tornado seemed to strengthen. So did the beam of energy firing on Shampoo. "Whatever they did, we can too!" Ukyo declared. She grabbed Konatsu's hand and said: "Let's go!"

* * *

Nabiki watched from a third floor window of the high school as Kasumi and Tofu joined Ranma and the others in the heart of the tornado. The wind storm seemed to increase its speed. "No! You're not leaving me!" she exclaimed and ran down the stairs. She burst out the door and yelled: "Mousse! Where are you?!"

Mousse appeared behind her. He seemed to be annoyed by something. "What?!" he demanded. "I've just been battling Happosai!"

"Never mind him. Give me your hand! We need to join the others!"

"What? Where are they?"

"There!" she shouted as she pointed at the tornado.

Mousse studied the mini-storm and the Chi blasts for a moment. Then he said: "All right!" and ran with Nabiki towards Ranma and the others. As they entered the tornado, it picked up in strength yet again.

* * *

"Can you See them?" Hiroshi demanded. The Terrible Four were also on the third floor watching the battle.

Yuka nodded.

"What's going on?" Daisuke asked fiercely.

"Ukyo and Konatsu just entered the tornado. They've joined their spirits with the others in there. The witch – Henna – is trying to kill Ranma and crew, but she doesn't have enough power!" Yuka explained. "She's trying to absorb the Nexus to get it!"

"What?"

"She's trying to absorb the city outright!" Yuka stated.

"Not me, she's not!" Daisuke said leaving the window.

"Where are you going?" Sayuri asked shrilly.

"I've been hanging around Ranma too long," Daisuke answered sharply. "I'm not going down without a fight." He headed down the stairs. The other three exchanged glances and then headed off after him.

* * *

Inspector Ojima left the relative safety of the school. He ran across the battlefield and followed his Sight to his fiancé. Ciren stood in battle fatigues watching Henna fire her long continuous Chi blast at the heart of the tornado. Barely visible, Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, and Akari continued to answer Henna's attack. Behind them, Tofu, Kasumi, Nabiki, Mousse, Ukyo, Konatsu, and four others had formed a circle and were holding hands.

Every now and then, one of the mercenaries would fire on Henna, but none of the ordnance – not even standard flamethrowers – had any effect. There were Mages stopping people from trying to attack Henna directly, especially the Martial Artists.

Ciren looked out at the frozen clouds hanging over the city. "This is it, Shoichi. I've fought her too long to walk away," she said distantly. Then she looked at him directly. "I'm sorry," she said.

The Inspector took the Siren's hand. "Don't be. Let's go," he told her.

Her mouth popped open slightly, but she closed it. Then she smiled and led the way into the windstorm.

* * *

Hideo Jouda watched as Ciren and Inspector Ojima entered the tornado and joined the circle of people behind the four issuing Chi blasts. His wife came up to him. "They're wrestling Henna for control of the Nexus," he told her.

"Let's go," was all she said as she took his hand.

* * *

Cologne looked out at the scene unfolding. Then she left the school building. She ran into the Dojo Destroyer watching the tornado. The moon-faced giant looked down at her and then nodded at Ranma and company. "I've made all my choices," she explained to him and continued walking toward the whirlwind. The Dojo Destroyer seemed to think about that and then joined her. Together, they added their strength to the growing Circle of people in the heart of Ranma's tornado.

* * *

Yamashita stood next to his fellow Martial Artists, their swords burning low. They watched the Dojo Destroyer enter the tornado. "If he can do, we can do it!" Yamashita shouted. His fellow dojo teammates cheered loudly and followed Yamashita forward.

* * *

Henna watched as more and more people ran into the base of Ranma's tornado. She couldn't reach them – they were beyond her range to drain life force. Henna couldn't stop firing at the four Martial Artists either. If she did, then their unified blast would strike *her*. So, she reached even deeper into the Nexus, trying to absorb the Power and replace the spirits she had lost. But she was meeting resistance – the city was fighting back. "It has to be the people behind Ranma," she thought. "I'll kill them all!" She redoubled her efforts to blow through Ranma and his friends. But more people kept running into the tornado and it was expanding to accommodate them, growing in all directions away from Henna. None of them were touched by the winds – or the dust the windstorm kicked up.

* * *

Those with the Sight now saw the battle for Nerima for what it was and made their choices, leaving the school and joining the growing number of people within Ranma's tornado. Those without the Sight were either spurred on by those with the Sight or simply saw that those who entered the whirlwind were untouched, so they entered on faith alone.

Tatewaki Kuno watched and began following the last group, dropping his now spent sword on the ground.

"Tatewaki!" Toshio Kuno shouted after pulling up in a jeep. "Where are you going?"

"To make amends, Uncle!" the young man shouted back. "For once, I am going to believe in something beside me!"

"Tatewaki!" Kodachi called out as she ran up to him. She grabbed his hand. "Let's go," she said.

Toshio watched them run toward the tornado. "Ah hell," the elder Kuno muttered.

"Sir?" his ninja driver prompted.

"Never mind. Do as you wish…" Kuno answered while climbing out of the car and walking toward the heart of the Storm – the real Storm.

Behind him, the ninja turned off the jeep and got out…

* * *

More and more people ran into the tornado, untouched by the winds. Soon, nearly two hundred people had joined Kasumi and Tofu in their Circle. Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, and Akari continued to fire a beam of Chi energy at Henna without faltering – buoyed by the people behind them. Energy began to crackle up the sides of the whirlwind, lighting up everyone inside. Then the two couples suddenly stopped their beam. With a shriek of triumph Henna watched her own Chi blast slam into the tornado. Her victory was short lived though - the blast was ripped apart by the tornado, protecting those inside. Her energy seemed to feed the winds; enough so that she stopped and watched in consternation. And still more people poured into the base of the whirlwind.

Henna watched as the windstorm kicked up another notch. "I need to concentrate on the Nexus," she thought desperately. "If I can master it, I can master them." She raised her hands and summoned more energy from the Nexus, but at the same time she could feel the natives draw even more. "What are they doing?" she thought. Then she saw it – a giant shape seemed to be forming in the tornado. At first it was faint, but it seemed to grow more and more solid. A torso formed, then two legs, two arms, and then a head. The figure stood a hundred meters tall within the tornado. It darkened then and took on color. Finally, features formed on the face and the giant Chi shape was completed.

Akane Tendo stood there within a tornado of crackling energy and a Circle of people about her feet.

"No!" Henna cried.

"Yes!" the Chi giant shouted above the winds. "It's over Henna!"

"No! I'll never give up my power!" Henna shot back shrilly.

"It's not your power and that's not your body!" Akane said angrily. With that, the giant's right hand curled into a fist and dove down toward Henna. Akane bent over and flexed her knees so to keep balance as she struck at her enemy. Fear finally filled Henna and she turned to run, but it was too late; the fist smacked her to the ground and immediately pushed into the earth. A pit formed under Akane's fist.

As the action completed, the Chi giant vanished in a flash of light. Ranma's tornado also vanished in the flash. There was a rushing sound through the air and then all went quiet.

* * *

Tofu Ono leaned out over the fist-shaped pit and spied the body of the Amazon Shampoo laying at the bottom. With a leap, he dropped down ten meters and pried the body out of the compact ground. As he picked up the body, water began to fill the indentation the body had left in the ground. A prickle of foresight ran through him. "I need to leave – now," he thought. He gathered Shampoo's body to himself and leapt out of the pit.

Ranma and friends greeted him as he landed. "Is she all right?" Akane asked from where she was leaning heavily on Ranma, now in his human male shape. Even with everyone's help, creating the Chi giant had taken a lot out of Akane.

"She's breathing, and Henna's gone, but there's no animus about her," Tofu responded.

"Sorry?" Ranma prompted.

"There's no spirit in the body," Tofu explained. "Everything works, but Shampoo's not home."

"Give her to me," Taro said firmly.

"What?" Tofu questioned.

"Give her to me," Taro repeated, just as firmly. He took the body from Tofu and added: "This is my task."

In his confusion, Tofu released Shampoo to Taro and the shape-shifter laid Shampoo on the ground. Then Taro kissed her on the mouth. Tofu was about to protest when Shampoo started moving. "Done," Taro said satisfactorily as he stood up.

"Care to explain, Taro?" Tofu prompted him.

"That's Soulkeeper Taro," the young man said definitively. "I finally have my name now."

"Soulkeeper?"

"That was my job," Taro explained. "I was to hold onto Shampoo and Mizu so Henna couldn't have them once they resurrected. That bastard set me up."

"Bastard?"

"Happosai," Soulkeeper answered.

Shampoo opened her eyes and looked about in confusion. "Shampoo alive?"

Akane bent down and took one of Shampoo's hands in her own. "Yes, you're alive and cured."

"Cured? Akane sure?" Shampoo asked.

"Looks that way – sister," Akane replied with a smirk.

"Who's Aka?" Shampoo asked.

Tofu and Akane exchanged a long look. "Aka is the Ainu word for Water," Tofu answered Shampoo. "It looks like we have to have a long talk…"

* * *

-Saturday, June 21 2003, 9:45PM-

Happosai walked across the school grounds to the fist shaped pond. He stopped and watched as water poured merrily out of it and flowed across the field into a storm drain. "Still trying are you, Henna?" Happosai said out loud to the pond. "In some ways, it's amazing, but your tenacity is not a surprise. Jakaro figured it would happen, so he introduced me to Osoroshidesu. How the Kitsune Lord knew is anyone's guess, but he always was a shrewd fellow." With that, Happosai took a deep drag on his pipe and blew out a huge cloud of smoke that covered the pond. A glowing thread could be seen in the cloud of smoke leading away to the west.

Happosai put away his pipe and took out a small golden sickle that shined in the dark. "So now it comes down to this, Henna. You're spiritually separated from Aka and Shampoo except for this Binding – the Binding that I can see…" He paused and slashed at the thread with the sickle. The thread snapped and vanished. "And have a means to cut," he finished.

He swapped the sickle for the pipe and began to smoke again. As he waited, the water stopped flowing out of the pond, and the water level began to drop slowly but steadily. "Done," he said to no one. Then he turned and walked away. "Now it's time for the clean up."

* * *

A/N: Next up - "The Clean Up". Also, in the next chapter, Happosai is finally questioned. If any reader has a question for him, now's the time to ask - just leave it in a review...


	18. The Clean-up

Chapter 18: The Clean-Up

-Sunday, June 22 2003, 2:15AM-

Banner nudged Wales with his foot. "Hey! Lazarus! Get up!"

Wales opened his eyes and muttered: "Stop calling me that, man."

"If the shoe fits," Banner grinned at him.

"You drank the Water at Ryugenzawa too," Wales grumbled at him.

"Yeah, but I didn't burn my second chance like you did," Banner bantered back. "Anyway, come on. The Home Guard's rousing everyone."

Wales climbed out of his sleeping bag and looked around as he reached for his heavy coat. It was still dark – sunrise was a few hours away. He looked around the encampment. The soldiers were indeed waking everyone. One of them bent down to where Ranma sat, still in his sleeping bag. He was holding out a cup of coffee graciously to the young martial artist. "Master Ono? We need to get going," the soldier stated. Ranma nodded his head and accepted the coffee.

After Ranma took a sip, Akane sat up next to him, took the cup of coffee from Ranma, and drank from the cup too. Ranma smirked at his semi-dazed fiancée in her battle fatigues. The soldiers had insisted that Ranma's group blend in with the Home Guard. Even Tofu's mercenary team was wearing the Home Guard's colors. "How far are we from the top?" Akane asked.

"About a ninety minute climb," Banner answered after the soldier shrugged his shoulders. "Some of the troops have already left to secure the summit.

"I still think this is overkill," Ranma grumbled.

"Hah!" Ryoga barked out a short laugh. "We still don't know where Henna is."

"Hopefully gone for good," Akari muttered with a yawn. She got up and started to roll up her sleeping bag. She was also wearing the ubiquitous uniform with the heavy coat.

Another soldier cut in: "Lady Unyru? We'll take care of that."

"Too late," Akari said as she handed the rolled up bag to the soldier.

"Where are we going?" Shampoo asked. "And can Shampoo have these chains removed?" She lifted her arms to show two heavy shackles on her wrists chained together.

"Sorry, Ma'am," one of the soldiers said stiffly. "But you are wanted for attempted murder."

"Oh," Shampoo answered in a small voice. "Right…"

Taro stood up and stretched. "This should be interesting. I want to see how the Sprite rules her realm from a jail cell." Shampoo threw Taro a black look.

"We'll see," Tofu said as he strolled up to the group. "First things first. Let's go."

"Where are we?" Shampoo tried again as she stood up.

"We are on the Fujinomiya trial of Mt. Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan," Tofu answered. "It is also an active volcano you need to help quiet down. The Storm stirred it up."

Shampoo's shoulders seemed to shrink a little at that. "Shampoo have to fix?"

"Yes," Tofu answered succinctly. "There's a lot you and Aka have to fix. Better get use to the concept." Shampoo started to say something and then thought better of it.

Ranma and company were martial artists and well prepared. As such, the final ascent of the mountain trail didn't take that much out of them. There were still patches of snow about, and an icy mist that shined in the soldiers' flashlights, but Team Ono was protected against the cold. In the predicted ninety minutes, they reached the tenth station of the Fujinomiya trial at the summit. The sky was lightening with the coming dawn.

"We're here," Taro announced. "Now what?"

A young voice came from Ranma's mouth: "Now it's our turn." The shape-shifter's eyes were glowing. So were Akane's, Ryoga's, and Shampoo's. The four of them walked a little distance away from the others. Then the four formed a circle and then began to sing in an unknown tongue.

Wales walked up to Tofu and asked: "What's going on, Boss?"

Tofu explained: "The four World Spirits are relieving the stresses on Mt. Fuji so it doesn't erupt."

"They can do that? Doesn't that take a lot of Power?" Wales asked amazed.

"They can together," Tofu answered. Everyone fell silent and watched the four martial artists.

The four continued their song for about ten minutes until a sigh seemed to rise from the land about them. Then they stopped and sat down. All four looked exhausted.

Tofu looked at his watch and then at the East where the sun had yet to break the horizon. "Done," Tofu stated. "The moment of the Solstice just passed and we're still here. We won."

A relieved sigh flowed out of the people watching and folks began to talk quietly now. "A bit anti-climatic," Wales noted.

"We've have enough excitement," Tofu replied.

"Who are the Chinese watching over there?" Wales asked while pointing at a knot of seven couples. Two of the men were holding a chest resting on two long poles between them.

"They're Amazons. That's all I know. I was told they were important though. The general said we'd know more at our next stop."

"Where's that?"

"We are going back to Ryugenzawa, my friend," Tofu told him.

* * *

-Monday June 23 2003, 10:55AM-

The two charter buses pulled up the gravel road and stopped in front of the large temple building sitting by a lake. As the crowd got off, Ranma said to Tofu: "I thought you said it was a small shrine."

"We built it to the Council's specifications. I have no idea why they wanted it here," Tofu replied.

"No," a voice chimed out gruffly. "You built it to my specifications." Happosai walked out of the temple with Shinnosuke behind him. "Welcome to Ryugenzawa," the old man said. Taro immediately charged Happosai, but the dwarf leapt up and touched Taro's head, causing the angry man to collapse on the ground.

"Old man…" Ranma growled at him.

"Good to see you too, boy," Happosai said while filling his pipe. "Now, now…Kill me and you don't get any answers." There was a twinkle in his eye as he spoke. The crowd assembled behind Tofu and Ranma. Tofu's mercenaries and the few squads of Home Guard soldiers stood ready to protect Akari and the four Guardians (Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, and Shampoo) but otherwise made no move. The Amazons who came with them watched curiously.

Tofu blew out his breath. "You owe us a lot of answers." Taro sat up and snorted.

"First things first," Happosai said. "Miss Unyru? Would you please put the Lady Ryugenzawa back?"

Akari sighed and her eyes glowed. Then she walked to the edge of the lake. Gracefully, she knelt down and reached toward the surface of the water. There was a spark as her hand touched the water and her eyes stop glowing. "Goodbye, Yume," Akari said.

The water rose up in front of Akari and took the shape of a young woman. "Goodbye, Akari. I'll miss you, but I'm happy to stay me," the water sprite Ryugenzawa answered. "Thank you for sheltering me." The water shape took Akari's hands and held them.

"So, the backup Sacrifice had a backup Water Spirit…" Tofu growled at Happosai.

Happosai lit his pipe. "Things were cut way too fine and there was too much at stake. I needed a plan 'B' in case Shampoo died a second time," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Why Shampoo?" the purple-haired Amazon asked crossly, still wearing handcuffs.

"Because for me to mark a Sacrifice, I have to have a spiritual attachment to them," Happosai said as he puffed away. "You just happened to be my Granddaughter."

Shampoo's mouth dropped open and she looked like she was going to be ill. "Oh no, no, no, no…That not true."

"Sorry, girl, but it is," Happosai said with another shrug of the shoulders. "For what it's worth, it was done honorably. Your great-grandmother can fill you in on the details – I told her about it last winter." Shampoo sat down on the ground heavily.

"You used us," Ranma said bluntly. "You used us and gave us no warning."

"And what warning could I give?" Happosai asked as he looked directly at Ranma, Akane, and Ryoga. "You're about to be visited by Three Spirits? Would you have believed me? I wouldn't." He blew out a cloud of smoke and then went on: "As far as using you – of course I did. I used a lot of other people too. The World was on the line. Enough so, that I even used myself."

"Bullshit!" Ranma burst out angrily.

"You don't have to believe me, but the truth is still the truth," the old man said. "I can live with it. The good news is that so can you." That made Ranma pause for a moment.

"So what happens now?" Tofu asked. "Cronus said that we had to come to Ryugenzawa."

Happosai walked down the stairs and stopped in front of Ranma. "That depends on King Rera."

Ranma's eyes started to glow. "What do you want from me, old man?" Rera's voice asked.

"You have several promises to keep," Happosai replied. He waved his hand at the temple. "I've provided a way for you to keep them." Ranma's/Rera's eyes widened.

"Brother, wait!" a voice came from Shampoo's mouth. "I've suffered too."

"Yes, but this was all your fault – you and your boredom," Rera returned. "If you hadn't made that Covenant with the Amazons – the People of the Waters, we would have never been in this mess."

"But…"

"No buts," Rera cut her off. He turned quickly to Tofu and asked: "What's her fate?" Rera pointed at Shampoo.

"She has to stand trial for stabbing Mousse. I believe the charge is attempted murder," Tofu answered.

"Shampoo not try and kill Mousse!" the purple-haired girl protested.

Rera ignored her. "But there's no evidence – the knife was destroyed," he pointed out.

"There's still photographic evidence," the doctor returned.

"Suppose that vanished too?" Rera asked innocently.

"I'm not sure Shampoo should get off that easily," Tofu pushed back.

"Oh, I wasn't thinking about letting her off," Rera stated.

"But Shampoo died!" Shampoo protested.

"That satisfies the Amazons – not the Japanese government," Tofu said. Shampoo just huffed. "What did you have in mind?" Tofu prompted Rera.

"House arrest – here," Rera replied while gesturing at the Shrine. "I can fix it so Shampoo and Aka are bound to the Shrine. Neither one can leave without my permission – which will only happen in dire circumstances."

"Brother!" Aka protested again.

Tofu looked thoughtful. "We might be able to get Judge Sanu to sign off on that – especially if the evidence vanishes."

"What does Shampoo get out of this?" Shampoo demanded petulantly.

"You get a nice big house, plenty of sunshine, and fresh air as opposed to a dank prison cell," Tofu pointed out. Shampoo sulked. "It has merit. It definitely has merit. It takes care of two birds with one stone," Tofu admitted.

While everyone considered that option, the Amazon Curtain approached Happosai. "Master Happosai? What are my friends and I to do now?" she asked.

"Do?" Happosai questioned as he made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "You and yours were needed to move the Sprite out of China. The covenant she made with your Tribe meant she couldn't leave China without an honor guard of Amazons. You served as that honor guard. Now you're free to do as you please. As a reward, you've been given Japanese immigration papers. You're free to settle in Japan."

"Actually," Rera cut in and addressed Curtain. "I have a job for you if you like: you could help Shinnosuke and his Grandfather guard Ryugenzawa." He added with a smile: "She needs watching over." The Water Sprite stuck her tongue out at him. He turned serious then: "I'll warn you, it won't be easy, but I think it's something you and your friends could thrive at. Shinnosuke can show you how to handle the animals and I can show you how to build more Dragon whistles. You could build a new village here."

"What's the catch?" Curtain asked.

Rera laughed. "I've told you the catch. And you're to treat Ryugenzawa as your friend – not your servant, and not your master. While you're at it, you can treat Shampoo and Aka the same way."

"At least Shampoo won't be alone," the purple-haired woman tossed in.

Curtain pursed her lips thoughtfully and said: "It's worth considering. Let us talk it over for a little bit."

Rera nodded. "Shinnosuke? Please tell them about the area. I want there to be no surprises." Shinnosuke nodded in turn and joined the group of Amazons gathering together.

Ryoga/Suma walked up to Rera. "That's very neat and tidy," the Earth Soul commented. "You need to create a new Nexus somewhere. It can be here with them."

"They have to agree first," Rera responded. "But it could solve a lot of problems…"

"In the meantime," Tofu interrupted and turned to Happosai, "You owe us answers – start talking…"

Happosai laughed then. "And what exactly did you want to know, Kitsune-Mage? You already know many of the answers yourself!"

Tofu seemed puzzled for a moment and then shook his head. "How are you in the middle of all this?" he finally asked.

"Oh, that's easy," Happosai started. "When I was young, I hung around the Amazon Village. I got to know everyone – except for Henna. Her standoffish ways made me curious about her. So I made a point of breaking into her home. When I was there, I ran into Mizu." Shampoo's eyes glowed and Aka/Shampoo nodded her head. "She had been held captive by Henna for hundreds of years at that point and wanted out. Rather than turn me over to Henna, she made a Bargain with me: in exchange for arcane knowledge, I would run errands for her. She had an elaborate plan to free herself and needed a pawn."

"A pawn that promoted itself to a tricky rook…" Aka grumbled.

"We all grow up," Happosai agreed nonchalantly.

"What was the plan?" Tofu asked.

"You already know it," Happosai scolded.

"Invoke the sacrificial ceremony to banish a World Spirit – but corrupt the ceremony using the Water of Life," Tofu answered. "When the Sacrifice returned to life, the World Spirit would also return."

"Yes, then, once Mizu's Siblings were free, they would kill Henna and free Mizu," Happosai finished.

"But that didn't happen," Tofu stated.

"Correct, the plan had some very basic flaws," Happosai acknowledged. "The banishment ceremony worked by entangling the World Spirit with a mortal's soul. Even when the Sacrifice returned, the World Spirit was still entangled or 'Bound' to the Sacrifice. Not only that, the Spirit would be terribly weak and be subjugated to the mortal."

"We didn't enslave them!" Akane burst out.

"No, you didn't," Happosai agreed. "That's one of the reasons things turned out so well, but, still, the Spirits would be no match for Henna." Aka sighed through Shampoo's mouth.

"All right, so when did you learn the flaws?" Tofu asked.

Happosai scratched his head. "I suppose when I told the Plan to Jakaro," he admitted.

"WHAT?!" sounded from Team Ono.

"The Master knew?" Tofu demanded.

"You betrayed me!" Aka burst out.

Happosai looked at Aka first and said: "Be happy I did, my girl – or you'd be dead right now." Aka subsided. Then he looked at Tofu: "I warned you the Kitsune Masters were playing their own Game, and don't speak ill of the Dead – he told you what you needed to know and not a scratch more. For years, he tried to stop me. He hated the idea of human sacrifices. He even joined the Council for a little while to try and eliminate Henna by other means. It was only when Ranma and Ryoga defeated the Stone Oni that he read the writing on the wall and sought me out."

"And what did he tell you?" Tofu asked stonily.

"He warned me that instead of Mizu being rescued, the Summoning would happen. He also told me of the Storm coming. He knew of my backup plan to free Mizu using another Sacrifice, but that Henna would come back when Mizu came back, because they were already tied and twisted together. He and Cronus had figured all that out somehow."

Tofu seemed at a loss for words, so Ranma asked: "So what did you do?"

"I pretended to listen and went on with my own plans," the old man admitted. "It wasn't until the Summoning happened that I believed him. Then I agreed to help him with his plans – without abandoning mine. It was Jakaro who came up with the idea of using Soulkeeper as a vessel to untangle Mizu from Henna. I added the tweak of adding some of Shampoo's soul with a bit of Mizu's essence."

"Happosai stole a piece of Shampoo's soul?" Shampoo asked shuddering.

"No, he had me and one of the Guides extract it from the Pool of the Drowned Cat – or at least a part of it anyway," Taro answered. Happosai made a little clapping motion with his hands at Taro's deduction. Taro ignored him.

"It worked very well," Happosai continued. "Shampoo and Mizu – now Aka – went to Soulkeeper while Henna went to Shampoo's body. Then Akane pushed Henna out of Shampoo's body into a Spirit Trap."

"Why me?" Akane asked. "Or rather 'How me'?"

"Mizu did that to you before you were born," Happosai explained. "Every soul has an affinity for all four Elements – except you. Your spirit has no affinity for Water, so you were immune to Henna's primary power. The expectation was that you'd become an avatar of Fire – Henna's opposite. And it worked to a large extent."

Tofu seemed to snap out of it. "Wait!" he insisted. "You mean Henna's spirit is in a trap. But that means if the trap breaks, she could come back! There's still a Binding between her and Aka!"

Happosai took out the Golden Sickle. "No, there's not anymore. Jakaro foresaw that as well and told me how to cut it. Henna has no ties to the Living anymore."

"What is that?"

Suma answered through Ryoga: "The world's newest Artifact – capable of severing a Binding, provided you can See it to cut it."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Akari asked.

"Extremely," Happosai agreed as he took out a special sheath and put it on the Sickle. Then turned and handed it to Tofu. "Last task Kitsune. You're to give it to Cronus for safekeeping. With any luck, it will get lost in his tower and that will be that."

Tofu looked at Happosai in surprise. "You're not going to keep it?"

Happosai laughed. "I did what I had to with it. I don't want the responsibility. I'm done."

"So now what?" Ranma asked.

Happosai looked at him standing next to Akane and smirked. "I'm sure you and Akane will think of something. If nothing else there's a wedding in nine months." He turned and began walking away from everyone. "I'll be there, invite or not, so save me a seat."

Tofu reached for Happosai. "Wait a minute, we still have more questions!" he called out.

Happosai leaped away laughing. "You can figure out the rest!" With that, he threw a smoke bomb at the ground. When the smoke cleared, the little old man was gone.

Taro blew out a breath. "Guess I'll have to catch him at the weddings."

Tofu sighed. "Forget it, Soulkeeper. He's been dealing with demons, witches, Kitsunes, and Heaven knows what else. He's been one step ahead of everyone, and he's going to stay that way."

"What else do I have to do?" Taro shrugged.

"The mind boggles," Tofu answered. "If nothing else, you can do what Olaf told you in China: Find a nice girl, settle down, and make lots of babies."

The mercenary Othan chimed in then: "Or, you could join me and the boys if the domestic life doesn't suit you." Taro pursed his lips thoughtfully.

Tofu laughed a little "The world is open to you Soulkeeper, but first…" Taro looked at him expectantly. "Let's show Shampoo her new home…"

* * *

-Friday, June 27 2003, 7:15AM-

Inspector Ojima walked into the hospital ward silently. Ciren sat next to the bed, watching the bed's rather large human occupant lying still. She sang quietly to the unmoving giant. At a pause in the song, Ojima asked: "Any change?"

Ciren shook her head. "He's still in a coma. I keep singing the songs of his people hoping for a response, but he hasn't moved," she told Ojima sadly.

Ojima looked at the machines monitoring Olaf's vitals. "His heart's beating on its own. There's hope."

Ciren nodded her head in agreement. "We have to hope Ryugenzawa's Blessing can beat Henna's curse. At least hot and cold water still works on him."

"Come on, let's get some food into you," Ojima urged gently. She nodded her head, got up, and followed him out of the room.

Down in the cafeteria, after they had sat down with their food, Ojima said: "Ono and the rest returned from Ryugenzawa late last night."

"Is Shampoo with them? Or did she escape finally?" Ciren asked somberly.

"Oh, she's not with them, but she didn't escape. She's under house arrest at Ryugenzawa. She pled guilty to Assault and Fugitive charges. Judge Sanu sentenced her to ten years."

"Assault?" Ciren questioned with surprise. "She nearly killed Mousse."

Ojima made a face. "All the evidence vanished from the lock up. We actually had nothing. She confessed to assault though, so Sanu convicted her on that. Tofu says it's a life sentence though. She can't ever leave Ryugenzawa."

Ciren took a sip of coffee. "Are you content with that?"

He shrugged. "It will do. She's been punished. Mousse has moved on, so I suppose the rest of us should too. What about you? He's your apprentice…"

"She can't hurt him anymore…that's enough," Ciren answered. "How are the two couples?"

"Tired, but O.K. I think they'll weather things just fine. Akane and Ranma held hands the entire time I saw them and Akari and Ryoga were even worse – she was in his lap. Othan and his team were there as well. So were Daran and Mausu. Expect everyone to show up later today – they're hopeful."

"After all the death, I'm not surprised. The mercs and even the ninjas knew what they were getting into, but the Home Guard paid the heaviest price of all," Ciren commented in a low voice. "Zombies don't leave wounded and even the Water of Life can't restore someone once they are fully converted to a zombie."

"Still, it's amazing – we didn't lose one civilian from the city. Even the Martial Artists all came through unscathed. To top it off, because of the Prime Minister's little stunt with the water from Ryugenzawa, we got back some of the dead who didn't get zombiefied," Ojima said.

"What about the rest of the dead?" she asked.

"There's nothing but burnt remains," he sighed. "What's left of Kuno's teams and the mercenaries are assisting the Home Guard in gathering what they can to satisfy the living. Officially, the city suffered gas main explosions brought about by terrorist attack. The Prime Minister is going to make sure all the dead are memorialized and survivors compensated properly. They'll arrange for appropriate cover stories – eventually."

"For over eight hundred people? That's a hell of a cover-up," she noted.

The inspector just shrugged his shoulders. "That's what mages are for – to provide misdirection if nothing else," he stated.

"Oh. So what happens now?"

"I don't know. What do you say we face that together?" he pressed.

She smiled wanly. "I already told you 'Yes'."

"You prefaced it – you said you had to survive," he reminded her.

"I did, didn't I? But are you sure it's truly over?" she teased him.

"We'll see. In the meantime…"

Ojima was cut off by a disturbance in the hallway. "That's a fox!" someone screamed. There was the sound of a cart being upended.

"Catch it! Don't let it get to the stairs!" someone else shouted.

Ciren and Ojima looked at each other. "Kitsune," they said together. The both leaped up and ran out into the hallway.

Outside was chaos. People were shouting at each other. There was an orderly's cart on its side. "Where'd it go?" Ojima demanded.

"It raced up the stairs," one man said as he stood by said stairs. "It got right by me as I opened the door to come in."

"Up or down?"

"Up, I think," the man answered.

Ojima looked up at the stairs. Ciren could tell he was using his Sight. "It's on its way to the third floor. Let's go!" he burst out and then charged through the doorway and up the stairs. They heard more commotion as they opened the third floor doorway. "Olaf's room!" Ojima said hurriedly.

The couple tore into the giant's room only to see a Kitsune in full priestly regalia standing behind Olaf's bed. The Kitsune grinned at them and then pulled down on Olaf's chin, opening the giant's mouth. With a deft gesture, the human fox poured a small bowl of water into Olaf's mouth and vanished in a flash of light.

Ciren and Ojima ran to Olaf's side. "Was that who I think it was?" Ciren asked while staring at Olaf.

"Maybe," Ojima said shortly. Then Olaf began to cough and choke. "Quick, help me roll him onto his side," Ojima ordered.

As the two wrestled with the large man, Olaf coughed out: "No! Stop! I'm all right."

"Olaf!" Ciren cried out happily as Olaf struggled to sit up, still hacking. Ojima helped Olaf sit up and began pounding on his back.

After a minute or so, Olaf stopped coughing and looked around. "Where…where am I?"

"Nerima General," Ojima told him. "How do you feel?"

"Where's Henna?" Olaf demanded hoarsely. Ciren hugged Olaf about the head, pulling him to her.

"Your guess is as good as ours," Ojima told him. "No one's seen her in about a week."

"A week? I've been out a week?" Olaf said in disbelief. "Nothing lays me out for a week!"

"You died, moron!" Ciren told him. "You went head-to-head with Henna and she killed you, idiot! If it wasn't for Ryugenzawa, you'd be gone!"

"Nonsense!" Olaf blustered. "And who poured mineral water down my throat?"

"Mineral water?" Ciren questioned as she let go. "Are you sure?"

"Well it's either that or…" Olaf stopped as a memory returned to him.

"Or?" Ojima prompted.

"Or Jusendo Water," Olaf finished. "What just happened?"

Ojima and Ciren looked at each other. "Jusendo," they said to each other.

"What?"

"Someone just slipped you Jusendo Water. You've been in a coma for a week, and a Kitsune just woke you up with Jusendo Water," Ciren told him."

"A Kitsune? Which one?" Olaf asked.

"That's subject to debate," Ojima hedged.

"No, it's not," Ciren stated firmly.

"He died too," Ojima reminded her. "No one's heard or seen of him since the battle. Not even his own people."

"He's a Kitsune. They cheat all the time. He knew about Ryugenzawa. Want to place a bet?" she pressed.

"Not against him," Ojima answered.

* * *

-Sunday, June 29 2003, 12:00PM-

Othan led the way deeper into the forest. "Are you sure that thing will work?" Ryoga called out behind him. "I've heard these woods mess with GPS."

"This is a military grade device," Othan replied. "It will work anywhere, even here."

"Let's hope so," Akari said. "Aokigahara is not a place to get lost in."

"Somehow, I think we'll know when we find the place," Othan said sardonically.

"Please be here," Chiyoko prayed as she followed Akari. Mousse followed Chiyoko.

Akane and Ranma brought up the rear. "Do you think it's possible?" Akane asked quietly to Ranma.

"Cronus said something – or someone – was still missing. He was hoping it was Maomolim and not Henna. I'm not sure how he knows that when Rera doesn't, but we can hope," Ranma answered just as quietly.

"Do you think he drank from Ryugenzawa too?" Akane asked again.

"He knew – he knew in spades."

"But why hasn't he shown up?"

"I don't know," Ranma replied, but Akane sensed he was holding something back. She chose not to pursue it though.

Othan stopped at a ring of earth and fallen trees that seemed to encircle a break in the trees. "I think we're here!" he shouted. He waited until they all arrived and then the seven of them climbed up the mound of debris. When they reached the top, they stared at the crater, nearly two hundred meters in diameter and thirty meters deep.

"We're here," Ranma agreed.

"Now what?" Ryoga asked.

"My turn," Mousse said. He led them into the crater and marched to the center. When he got there, the young Chinese gentleman stood stock still. None of the others made a sound. Finally, after several minutes, Mousse pointed in one direction and led them away from the center.

"Any luck?" Ranma pressed.

"I sense Something's over this way," Mousse answered.

"Something?" Akane quizzed. "In Aokigahara, Something could be nasty."

"Actually, this area's been scoured clean spiritually," Mousse noted. "No ghosts, no onis, no gakis. Whatever made this crater erased everything, but one very faint Presence."

"Friendly or hostile?" Akane pushed.

"Indifferent," he replied.

"Indifferent?" Chiyoko asked.

"Like a cat?" Ranma asked in turn.

"Maybe," was Mousse's response. They all fell silent after that and followed Mousse again.

They walked out of the crater and clambered down the mound again. Mousse walked another two hundred meters and stopped. "Here; the Presence is centered here," he said.

"I don't see a body," Ranma stated.

"Me neither," Akari added.

"Spread out and see it we can find anything," Ryoga suggested,

They started to do that when Chiyoko raised her cupped hands to her mouth and called out: "Maomolin!"

Mousse spun and said: "Do that again! The Presence grew stronger."

"Maomolin!" Chiyoko shouted again. "It's me, Chiyoko!"

"Better," Mousse said tersely. "Everyone! Start shouting!"

Soon all of them, including Othan, were calling out "MAOMOLIN!"

Finally, after several minutes, Mousse cut them off and moved toward a bush. He got down on the ground and then turned to motion to Chiyoko. "Here! Come here and see if you can coax him out."

She quickly did that and tried to coax something only she and Mousse could see from under the bush. After a few tries, a small white wildcat cautiously stepped into the light.

"Look at the tails," Akane whispered. "It has three tails."

"Cat Lord," Ranma hissed. Everyone turned to see that Ranma was in the Cat Fist. "Welcome home, Maomolin."

Chiyoko slowly reached out and picked up the wildcat. It did not fight or claw at her. Instead it settled into her arms where she began to stroke it.

"It is Maomolin," Mousse confirmed. "He's growing more defined by the minute as he rests in her arms."

"What the hell happened to him?" Ryoga wondered. Ranma just shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, but I can guess," Othan said. "I don't know if he won or lost, but he fought Henna here." The mercenary paused and then said: "Still, if he survived, that's got to count as a victory."

The cat looked at each of them in turn from Chiyoko's arms. "Whoa," Mousse said in a low voice. "He just showed up on my Family map. He's recognized me. He's probably recognized all of us."

"We have him," Akari agreed. "Whatever happened, we have him back. Cronus was right. He's got some healing to do, but we have Maomolim."

Chiyoko turned to Othan. "Let's get him out of here." The merc nodded and took out the GPS. With a gesture, he began to lead the way home.

* * *

-Monday, July 14 2003, ?-

Henna lay in the darkness, unable to move. She could feel something holding on to her arms and legs. "Let go of me!" she screamed.

"No, I don't think so," the voice sounded from all around her.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"No one of any importance," the voice answered her.

"Release me now and I may be lenient with you!"

The voice laughed merrily. "No, Henna, you're not in any position to grant leniency. You're caught in a spirit trap. Just like you did to me."

"Who are you?" she demanded again. Henna thought the voice sounded a little like Ryoga, but younger.

"I told you little witch: I am your captor."

"Release me at once!"

"I really don't think that's a good idea," the voice said whimsically.

"AT ONCE!" she shouted.

"You see Henna, there are a lot of… entities who want to talk to you." There was a warning tone in the voice. "You may really prefer to stay here."

"NOW!"

"All right, then," the voice said. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

Henna felt something release her limbs. She quickly stood up and tried to summon a light against the darkness, but nothing happened. As she tried (and failed) again, her surroundings lightened anyway. Things continued to brighten until she found herself standing on an expanse of white marble polished so fine it reflected the blue sky. Although the bright sky held no sun, the air was very warm. "Where am I?" Henna wondered out loud.

"You're in Chaos, Henna. Welcome," a clean and crisp voice sounded behind her.

Henna turned to see Ba standing there. The bovine head was bowed in greeting. "Congratulations. You now hold the record on defying the Lords of Hell. Too bad it ended. You were a lot of fun. "

Henna backed up from Ba, but the demon did not pursue her. He just stood there and smiled, his teeth now clean and well fitting in his mouth. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"You're dead – a few times over now," Ba said jovially.

"That's impossible!"

"Not so much. The first time, the Fox Lord and the Giant managed to kill you with the little girl's help. They drank from the Water of Life at Ryugenzawa. You absorbed their spirits, but Ryugenzawa wanted them re-born. You were strong enough to stop them until Miss Tendo nulled your power. Then they ripped you apart freeing themselves – and others."

"You're lying!"

"The second time was when Shampoo died, completing the Sacrifice and ending Mizu's life. You died when Mizu did as predicted. Normally, you'd be swept off to Hell, but you were stubborn. Bereft of Mizu, you found Shampoo's empty shell and possessed it, determine to start life anew."

"I escaped death!"

"The third time was special though. Had you been smart, and run, you'd be alive. Hunted, but alive. Instead, you wanted vengeance, and because of that, you stayed near Miss Tendo. And she knocked you out of Shampoo's body into Earth's waiting embrace where he trapped you."

"Wait, that was Daichi?" Henna asked.

"Not anymore, Henna." Ba shook his head sorrowfully. "Daichi's gone. Suma is the re-born Earth Spirit. Suma held you long enough that Shampoo reclaimed her body – she's been re-born, along with Mizu; now Aka."

Henna was stunned. "Re-born? What? How?"

"All part of the plan, Henna. The Four World spirits, all re-born and protected – and the planet rolls merrily along. I could have skipped that last part, but Happosai demanded payment after all and that was it."

"Happosai? He did this to me?"

Ba looked surprised. "Him?…No, no. Haven't you figured out who I am yet?" He started to walk toward Henna. She backed up. "I hired Happosai. I gave him the power to absorb female energies so he could invade your house. I sent him to the Kitsunes to fix the Sprite's plan – otherwise, you might have gotten away. This was all my doing."

Henna's eyes began to widen. "No…"

"Oh, yes. You betrayed seven demon lords. Six set up the Council to try and destroy you. Where was the last one?"

"No…"

"I must thank you though. You voided the Contract nicely – all according to plan." Ba's shape began to shift, shrinking and yet filling out. "My brothers are all reduced now. They are no match for me anymore – even together. Where once there were seven lords, now there is only one." Ba was now two meters tall and humanoid, with a clean shaven face and black lightning marks on his cheeks.

Henna turned and ran at this point.

The last demon lord looked at the wide expanse with a smile. "Not very sporting now, is it?" he said out loud. He produced a hunting horn and raised it to his lips. As he blew a long note, the marble expanse became a deep and forbidding forest. A huntsman holding the leads for six hell hounds appeared behind him and handed him the dogs' leashes…

* * *

A/N: And done. There will hopefully be an epilogue or two eventually, but, for now, we'll stop here. Thanks for sharing the journey with me.


End file.
